KL Rahul were spotted swapping jerseys after the MI-KXIP match as a mark of respect for each other.
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The fixture between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) was a humdinger as the advantage kept shifting from one side to the other. KL Rahul who took KXIP to the verge of victory, was dismissed off a slower delivery from Bumrah.
He was at 94 and was just one big hit away from his century when he was dismissed by Bumrah. After he returned back to the pavilion and KXIP fell short of the target, Rahul was very upset with the result. At such a juncture, the sportsmanship from Hardik Pandya brought back smiles on the faces of the fans.
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya were seen exchanging jerseys on the field. This is something which is quite prevalent in football as a mark of sportsmanship and respect for the opposition. It was admirable gesture from Pandya and Rahul.
After the match, Rahul said “Look we’ve seen this happening in football and obviously Hardik and I are good friends and I felt it would be nice to collect some jerseys and then bring the tradition to cricket as well. We didn’t speak about this earlier and as we’re talking now, I said give me your jersey and he wanted my jersey too and so we exchanged jerseys, it’s a nice thing.
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“That’s the beauty of the IPL that we play really hard to win. Though we play 300 days of cricket together, during the two months when we play IPL, there’s no friendship once we step on to the field. I want to take him down, he wants to take my wicket. That’s how the event is. It’s not just between me and him, but all the eight teams compete by heart and that’s what makes it the biggest tournament in the world,” the champion batsman added.
The two were also spotted embracing each other after the incident. What was very sweet was that Pandya was also seen helping Rahul in adjusting his shirt. Rahul also said in the same interview that the act was not pre planned. In the same breath, he also expressed their desire to bring this ritual to cricket.
Mumbai Indian’s first raced their way to a good total of 180 odd on the back of an explosive half century by the comeback man Kieron Pollard. Andrew Tye came up with a stellar performance once again to bag another 4-fer. This helped him consolidate his position at the top of the bowling charts.
Chasing the total, KL Rahul once again looked as his best as he milked the Mumbai bowlers. For once, he was well assisted by Aaron Finch who was promoted at No 3 in this match. However, as soon as the two got out, KXIP broke under pressure and fell 3 runs short of the target.
