Ahmed refused runs when SRH needed 13-odd runs in the last over.
KXIP bowlers Chris Jordan and Arshdeep Singh picked three wickets each and in combination with the leg-spinning duo of M Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi, strangled the life out of SRH’s chase which began well with Warner (35) and Bairstow (19) adding 56 runs in 6 overs for the first wicket.
In the dying moments of the match, SRH needed 13 runs off the last 3 balls of the 20th over, and on strike was Khaleel Ahmed. SRH had lost Sandeep Sharma and Priyam Garg off successive deliveries in the final over. Khaleel opted not to give away his wicket and defended a back of length ball to prolong his stay in the middle.
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The ball went to short third-man, giving Khaleel time to give his batting partner T Natarajan to throw his bat around. But he refused a run and fans on social media just could not wrap their heads around it.
Essentially, what Khaleel did by refusing the single was to kill the game for SRH. With two balls left and 13 to win, even if he would have hit two sixes the game would only have been tied.
The next ball proved to be even more bizarre, as he again defended the delivery and sauntered to the other end. Ravi Bishnoi pounced on the opportunity and hit the bulls-eye to run-out Khaleel.
Social media and IPL fans caught on Khaleel’s deer in the headlights moment and trolled the left-arm pacer from Tonk, Rajasthan to no ends on Twitter, as SRH lost a match that they should have won easily.
Here are some of the best fan reactions: