Shame Punjab Kings Came So Late In IPL 2021: Chris Jordan

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Punjab Kings pace bowler Chris Jordan said elimination from the Indian Premier League 2021 season was "tough to take", adding that "it's just a shame" the side came so late in the tournament.

Despite a huge six-wicket win against three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings with seven overs to spare, Punjab Kings were eliminated on Thursday evening. Whatever little hopes they had of sealing the last playoffs berth were extinguished by Kolkata Knight Riders a few hours later after the two-time champions defeated Rajasthan Royals by a massive 86 runs.

"It is quite tough to take. We've been doing so many great things as a team," said Chris Jordan in the post-match press conference when asked about Punjab Kings not making it further in the competition.

"Our planning and everything has been on point to play a game like we did today, it's just a shame it came so late in the tournament. The type of performance you saw today was what we've been striving for the entire season, but it just didn't quite happen," added the English fast bowler, who had figures of 2/20 in his three overs on Thursday.

"But that's life. You obviously have to move from it as quickly as possible. However, we can still take some positives from it for every single player, and hopefully long may that type of performance continue," he added.

Jordan was full of praise for his Punjab Kings captain, KL Rahul, who once again stamped his authority on the competition with a blistering unbeaten 98 off just 42 balls. Rahul played shots all over the park and fearlessly took on the opposition bowlers, earning much acclaim from teammates and others in the cricketing community.

"KL is a world class batsman. It's such a joy to watch him play. I first played with him when I was at RCB in 2016, and even then some of the shots he played I knew he was a class apart.

"Even today, it felt like anytime he felt like hitting a six he just took it, no matter where the ball was. He can play in various situations and is more or less a 360 degree player as well. It's just great to see him go out there today and lead from the front and get us over the line in a timely fashion," said Jordan in reference to the Punjab Kings skipper.