IPL 2018: Top 4 emotional moments of the season

#4 KL Rahul giving away his award to a fan:

Gem of an innings in a losing cause

In the match where Kings XI Punjab was set a target of 187 runs, KL Rahul played a gem of an innings to guide his side just a few inches away from triumph. The match was against Mumbai Indians in its own den.

Rahul's 94 off 60 balls consisted of 10 fours and 3 sixes. His inning was not enough for Kings XI Punjab as his team fell short by a margin of three runs in the chase to a total of 187. Once again, a big inning from Rahul was not enough as the R Ashwin-led side fell short by 3 runs. Once Rahul was dismissed in the 19th over, it closed down all hopes for KXIP of winning the match.

When asked about his knock, Rahul said, "In the first half of IPL I was hitting the ball well but I would get out on 50-60 and then I'd find myself sitting in the dugout, seeing my team struggle sometimes. As an opening batsman, I wanted to take that extra responsibility."

He further added, "I knew if I bat 20 overs more often than not we would end up on the winning side and end up getting a big target. But unfortunately, the last two innings haven't gone my way or the team's way. But everything's a learning and I'm learning from these games. Hopefully, come a situation like this while playing for the country or any other tournament, I'm sure I'll have better answers."

It was such a crucial match the opener was seen crying after the loss since they were almost knocked off from the tournament. Even a win in their ultimate game would not ensure them a place in the next round as their qualification scenario was heavily dependant on the other matches and their Net Run Rate.

After the post-match presentation, he decided to give away his award which he won for that magnificent inning to a random fan. Though emerging as Orange cap holder then, the opener was disappointed at failing to get his team home which won thousands of hearts.