Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 09, 2020, 09:51 AM
Cricket Desk: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) endured their 5th defeat of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season in 6 games to remain at the bottom of the points table. In what was another one-sided contest against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab did have some positive to cherish including the form of Nicholas Pooran. The Windies stalwart smashes 77 runs from 37 balls and en route to the figure, he secured his half-century in just 17 balls which is the quickest anyone has managed this season in the IPL. Pooran began hitting the ball in fine fashion right from the start. He didn't waste time in getting settled and took charge against Sunrsiers Hyderabad's bowlers after coming in to replace PrabhSimran Singh. He hit 2 boundaries and 7 sixes to reach the 50-run mark in only the 9th over of the match.Having completed his half-century in just 17 balls, he bettered the record of Rajasthan Royals star Sanju Samson who had reached his fifty in 19 balls earlier this season. As far as the overall record goes.Pooran's efforts, however, failed to fetch the desired results for Punjab as Hyderabad bagged all 10 wickets to bundle their opponents for 132 in 16.5 overs. The defeat means that KXIP face a race against time to qualify for the playoffs. A few more defeats and the franchise would drop out of contention for a top-4 finish this season.