"Hall of shame innings" - Fans react to PBKS batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa's scratchy knock vs GT in IPL 2023

Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa failed to get going against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, April 13. Rajapaksa, who has been hailed as an intent merchant for Punjab by many, visibly struggled to up the ante on Thursday. The left-handed batter managed to score 20 runs from 26 balls, hitting just one boundary during the sluggish knock. The southpaw was eventually dismissed by Alzarri Joseph in the 17th over of the innings. He tried to play a lofted shot off a low full-toss but ended up hitting it straight to the deep mid-wicket fielder. The Sri Lankan batter faced the wrath of Punjab supporters for his lack of intent. Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter:JSK@imjsk27Rajapaksa hall of shame inningsRajapaksa hall of shame inningsA.@ThatCricCrazy@mufaddal_vohra Rajapaksa ne finally punjab ko baksha@mufaddal_vohra Rajapaksa ne finally punjab ko bakshaAlok Agrawal@AlokAgrawal5#PunjabKingsvsGujaratTitans Reward Rajapaksa with the ticket back to Sri Lanka @realpreityzinta twitter.com/AlokAgrawal5/s…Alok Agrawal@AlokAgrawal5#PunjabKings be like - T20 khelne ke kharida tha tumko to Rajapaksa &amp; curran #PBKSvsGT#PunjabKings be like - T20 khelne ke kharida tha tumko to Rajapaksa &amp; curran #PBKSvsGT#PunjabKingsvsGujaratTitans Reward Rajapaksa with the ticket back to Sri Lanka @realpreityzinta twitter.com/AlokAgrawal5/s…Rahul Sharma@rahulsharmaenvRajapaksa played one of the slowest innings we have ever witnessed in T20.Such a boring match #GTvsPBKSRajapaksa played one of the slowest innings we have ever witnessed in T20.Such a boring match #GTvsPBKSAhammed Nitol@AhammedNitolWhat was Bhanuka Rajapaksa doing! That was ridiculous batting display from him! #PBKSvGT #IPL2023 #TATAIPLWhat was Bhanuka Rajapaksa doing! That was ridiculous batting display from him! #PBKSvGT #IPL2023 #TATAIPLcharan@tamasha9999Rajapaksa fraud fellow Rajapaksa fraud fellow 😭utsav@Utsav138098214@CricCrazyJohns Rajapaksa MVP of Gujrat today1@CricCrazyJohns Rajapaksa MVP of Gujrat todayAavish Kant@Aavish_KRajapaksa really struggling here.Terrible strike rate.Better to throw away your wicket than eat up almost an over.Rajapaksa really struggling here.Terrible strike rate.Better to throw away your wicket than eat up almost an over.agam@EH10xRajapaksa thanks for the tortureRajapaksa thanks for the tortureNar@narduggWhen you’re not timing the ball, you should retire out. There is no point Rajapaksa should have played that many ballsWhen you’re not timing the ball, you should retire out. There is no point Rajapaksa should have played that many ballsGagan Chawla@toecrushrzzzRajapaksa with worst possible innings of IPL, and I have seen a lot of them!252Rajapaksa with worst possible innings of IPL, and I have seen a lot of them!Sudhanshu@sudshudMatch winning innings by Rajapaksa comes to an end..**for gujrat titans1Match winning innings by Rajapaksa comes to an end..**for gujrat titansAjay@AjayJ77@hsingh6times Rajapaksa was playing like it’s an ODI@hsingh6times Rajapaksa was playing like it’s an ODINotably, Bhanuka Rajapaksa started off his IPL 2023 campaign with an impressive 50-run knock against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He retired hurt in the subsequent fixture after being hit on the hand by a shot from Shikhar Dhawan. The 31-year-old had to miss the third fixture against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) due to injury. With Liam Livingstone available for selection, it remains to be seen if Rajapaksa will be able to retain his place in PBKS' playing XI for the next encounter or not.PBKS finish at 153/8 after 20 overs vs GTGujarat captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to field first. Punjab were off to a shaky start, losing their openers Prabhsimran Singh and Shikhar Dhawan early.Sportskeeda@SportskeedaJosh Little gets the Punjab Captain for 8 : JioCinema / IPL #PBKSvGT #IPL2023 #Cricket11Josh Little gets the Punjab Captain for 8 🔥📷 : JioCinema / IPL #PBKSvGT #IPL2023 #Cricket https://t.co/bRWW2EyrkcMatthew Short impressed with the bat, scoring 36 runs off 24 balls. However, the remaining middle orders failed to score runs at a brisk pace, allowing Gujarat to dominate the proceedings. Shahrukh Khan chipped in with a valuable cameo towards the backend of the innings, mustering 22 runs from just nine balls to take PBKS to a respectable 153-run total. For Gujarat, Mohit Sharma was the pick of the bowlers. The senior fast bowler picked up two wickets while conceding 18 runs from his full quota of four overs. Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little and Alzarri Joseph bagged a wicket each.