IPL 2019: Sam Billings express disappointment with CSK’s narrow loss in final

He played only one game for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 after the 2018 champions retained him in their squad. A flamboyant hitter of the ball who did well in the last edition, Sam Billings left to join his county side Kent but could not play more than a game there either as a shoulder dislocation during the game with Glamorgan that saw him going off the field for many months now.

However, even though the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman missed almost the entire IPL 2019, he always followed his team CSK closely and it was evident when he expressed his utter disappointment over the yellow jerseys’ one-run loss to the Mumbai Indians in the final in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 150, CSK started off well but a middle-order slump saw them eventually falling short of MI’s total by one run. For CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, it was the second time that he lost a final to the MI by a single run (he played for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 when they lost in the final).

Billings, who scored 108 runs in 10 matches with one fifty for the CSK last year, played against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 17 in place of Dhoni but got out for a duck off just four balls. He took the catch of Vijay Shankar in that game.

Billings left ‘gutted’ with CSK loss

The English cricketer took to Twitter after Sunday’s final and said he was “gutted” for the CSK and praised them for giving everything. He said he is proud of the CSK and the IPL as a tournament. Billings, who missed England’s recent ODI against Ireland and the T20I against Pakistan, also didn’t forget to congratulate the Indians who now have beaten the CSK in three finals.

Gutted for the boys.. gave absolutely everything. So proud of everyone again @ChennaiIPL & incredibly lucky to be a part of such an amazing franchise!

Such small margins; what a competition the @IPL is! Congrats to @mipaltan on the win.#Yellove

— Sam Billings (@sambillings) May 12, 2019

Billings’ tweet received a lot of love from CSK supporters and the fans wanted him to join them back for the 2020 season.

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