KXIP vs SRH | Player Ratings - Siddarth Kaul’s superb death bowling goes in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad succumb to six-wicket loss to Kings XI Punjab

David Warner (6.5/10): David Warner’s 70 run of 62 deliveries was pretty much in the same vein as Steve Smith’s 73 against Kolkata Knight Riders last night. The Aussie found the run-scoring very difficult against the ball that was skidding and even though he ended with a strike rate of 113, he was never ahead of the eight ball. 

Jonny Bairstow (2/10): One can put Bairstow’s dismissal to bad luck or may attribute to his growing confidence, which at times can be borderline over-confident too. Bairstow shouldn’t have clipped off the pads against a leg-spinner and his dismissal instantly brought Vijay Shankar to the crease, and the powerplay run-rate took a nosedive.

Vijay Shankar (2.5/10): It is becoming a habit for him now. Shankar, who had put himself on the hot seat for India’s No.4 spot for the World Cup, is yet to convert his starts into big ones. The more worrisome aspect of his batting is that he is throwing away the wicket when he looks the most comfortable on the field. Needs to change the habit, at the earliest if he wants to guarantee himself a spot in the World Cup squad.

Mohammad Nabi (3.5/10): After being promoted up the order to up the run-scoring rate, Nabi fared decently - scoring 12 off 7 balls - but with the ball, he couldn’t live up to the faith. That may point fingers at Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s captaincy, for the fact that Nabi’s economy rate against the left-handed batsmen was just 3.5, but he wasn’t brought to bowl against Chris Gayle. 

Manish Pandey (3/10): After being demoted down the order, Pandey had a point to prove that he has it in him to merit an automatic selection in a T20 team. However, he failed in that count once again and even though he ended up hitting a couple of boundaries, his score came at a 126.67, which was not sufficient.

Deepak Hooda (7/10): Two fours and one six on three deliveries he faced tonight and what more would someone want after that? A simple yet effective stay in the middle and then he further extended his performance to fielding by taking a very good catch at long-on to send Chris Gayle packing. 

Yusuf Pathan (3/10): The Baroda all-rounder didn’t have to do anything with the bat and ball tonight, but his fielding should be enough for the franchise to release him from the squad for the next year’s IPL. Was so lethargic on the field and it took him years for him to reach the ball once it crossed past the 30-yard-ring. Add to that, the Mayank Agarwal catch miss should be the last nail in the coffin.

Rashid Khan (7/10): Sunrisers Hyderabad mustn’t have wanted their blue-eyed boy to be a container because it is Rashid’s wickets, more often than not, that guides them to wins. However, this IPL has been different with the Afghan spinner reducing himself to a mere container while letting others pick wickets. Defending a below-par total, the tactic backfired as KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal forged together a solid second wicket partnership to help the team win.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar(7/10): Bhuvneshwar Kumar understood that bowling in death is costing him more nowadays, and that’s why he bowled a three-over spell in the powerplay to ensure that he could restrict as many runs as possible. Although the skipper couldn’t manage to pick up a wicket tonight, his performance level was definitely an upgrade than the last match.

Siddarth Kaul (9/10): What a penultimate over that was from Kaul! Five runs and a wicket single-handedly kept them in the game, giving Punjab fans almost heart attack. Had it not been that audacious last over four by KL Rahul, Kaul may have emerged as the unlikely hero for Hyderabad fans overnight.

Sandeep Sharma(8/10): Has to be the most effective bowler on the night, even though that mattered a little in the bigger picture. Sharma pulled off his yorker, slower ball, and the knuckle ball in a regular fashion to keep the batsmen quiet. There was hardly anything more that he could do because when he came out to bowl, the game was almost in Punjab’s kitty.