Faf du Plessis (8.5/10): It’s never about getting a reprieve, but how one makes the most of life is what makes the difference. After escaping a run-out on the third delivery of the first over, du Plessis produced an innings of valour and magnificence. CSK got off to a sluggish start, but his counter-attacking brought the side back on track in the run-chase. He pounced on loose deliveries and had been timing the ball exquisitely right from the outset at Visakhapatnam. Du Plessis scored a scinitllating fifty to set the tempo for a successful run-chase. Needless to say, he was a livewire on the field and saved crucial runs with his incredible athleticism and awareness.   

Ambati Rayudu (6/10): Rayudu did the smart thing by rotating the strike and ensuring CSK chased down the total without anymore hiccups. It was important for him to bid some time out in the middle and get some match practice before the all-important final.   

Dwayne Bravo (8.5/10): What a spell that was! Bravo mixed it up beautifully in such a highly tensed situation and was the best CSK bowler for the night. He was not only economical, but also scalped two wickets to keep things tight. He also earns an extra point for taking a beautiful catch to get rid of Rishabh Pant at the boundary in the 19th over.    

Ravindra Jadeja (4/10): T20 is a game of glorious uncertainties and Jadeja would certainly vouch for it. His first two overs were very economical and the skipper trusted his brilliance with the ultimate over of the game. What should have been a tidy over against the tail-enders, ended up being one of the best overs in the game for DC, where Boult and Ishant milked 16 overs from it. The fact that Jadeja was taken for cleaners by the tail will only rub salt on his wounds.

Deepak Chahar (7.5/10): At times, the reputation itself puts immense pressure under crunch situations. The case was similar in Chahar’s case; he has made a name for himself with the deadly swing and immaculate control throughout the tournament. The conditions were new, but Chahar adjusted beautifully and did manage to draw an early blood in the form of Prithvi Shaw. After bowling three overs in the powerplay, Chahar did well in the death to get rid of Pant and conceded just 12 runs in the 19th over of the game.   

Shardul Thakur (1/10): After a horrendous start to his first over, where Dhawan milked three back-to-back boundaries, Shardul had nothing going his way. Brought in at the expense of a batsman, Shardul hardly posed any threat and was never brought back into the attack. Since CSK won the game by a fair margin, the move didn’t cost much, but had they ended up on the losing side, questions would have been raised on excluding the performing Murali Vijay.