Glenn Maxwell demoted in Punjab batting order, KL Rahul & Anil Kumble face Twitter wrath

Nothing seems to be going in the favour of the Punjab franchise in the 13th edition of the Dream11 Indian Premier League. The KL Rahul-led side's encounter against Kolkata was crucial for them to stay afloat in the competition. Their bowling unit took matters in their own hands to put breaks on the star-studded batting line-up of Kolkata. Chasing a target of 165, the team failed to cross the line yet again despite half-centuries from KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. 

Anil Kumble faces the wrath of fans once again 

The top order provided an ideal platform for the middle-order to clinch the game, however, the management's decision to promote wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh ahead of Glenn Maxwell came raised a lot of eyebrows. Singh failed to capitalise on the opportunity and could only occupy the crease for 7 balls, scoring a mere 4 runs. Anil Kumble and KL Rahul came under the scrutiny of fans yet again as they found this ploy of sending a rookie batsman ahead of the power hitter Glenn Maxwell baffling.

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Glenn Maxwell was at the crease in the penultimate over of the match when the team needed 14 runs of the last over. Up against Kolkata's mystery spinner Sunil Narine, the batsman showed glimpses of form with a switch hit to accumulate precious four runs for his side. With 7 runs needed off the final ball, Glenn Maxwell almost put Punjab in their second Super Over of the Dream11 IPL as he hit a lofted shot that almost went for a six. Punjab ultimately lost the closely fought battle by 2 runs.

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The team started their campaign with a revamped think tank that included a new head coach in Anil Kumble and KL Rahul was assigned the duty of leading the side to success. The team started their championship pursuit with a competitive game with Delhi, that they lost in the Super Over. A comprehensive win over the strong Bangalore team indicated that greater things to come, but the talented side could not live up to their expectations as they kept on losing their way as the competition progressed. The side have now played against every team in the competition and are languishing at the bottom of the Dream11 IPL points table. 

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Anil Kumble has been subject to a lot of criticism in his stint in the Dream11 IPL 2020. The franchise's fans have been vocal about their displeasure of not including T20 veteran Chris Gayle in the playing 11. The side persisted with Glenn Maxwell in spite of the Australian not making a significant impact in the side, which had irked the team's fanbase as they rooted for the inclusion of Chris Gayle. 

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Image source: Punjab Instagram