IPL 2019 | Player Ratings - Andre Russell, Shubhman Gill efforts in vain as Delhi Capitals complete double on KKR

Joe Denly (2/10): The English all-rounder had a disastrous start to his IPL career as Ishant Sharma handed him a golden duck with a Jaffa. One of the most underrated cricketers coming to the IPL, Denly is a wily leg-spinner and a belligerent opening batsman. It would be cruel to judge him on the basis of one outing and, hopefully, he comes out well in the games to come.

Robbie Uthappa (4.5/10): After losing Denly on the very first ball, the onus of weathering the early storm was on the experienced shoulders of Robin Uthappa. The elegant right-handed batsman steadied the KKR ship with some deft touches and valiant strokes, but couldn’t convert the good start into a big score, courtesy to some wily bowling from Rabada and a screamer from Rishabh Pant.   

Shubman Gill (8.5/10): Asked to open the innings alongside Denly, Shubman Gill grabbed the opportunity with both hands by smashing his second IPL fifty. His innings was a good example of calculated aggression under the pump as he stitched a crucial partnership with Uthappa and set a good platform for the explosive middle-order to capitalise on. Gill looked very comfortable right from the outset and didn’t let the DC bowlers take the momentum away. His awareness was imposing and took control of things when his non-strikers were finding it difficult to score at a brisk rate.    

Carlos Brathwaite (3/10): The 2016 World T20 hero, Carlos Brathwaite carries huge reputation behind his name. With Russell firing on all cylinders, Brathwaite did the right thing by rotating the strike, but after the former’s fall, KKR needed Brathwaite to finish off innings, which he didn’t. His bowling had nothing of substance and looked mediocre in the only over that he bowled.  

Nitish Rana (3/10): Rana has been one of the pillars of strength in this KKR side and he has a knack of scoring the tough runs to take the game away silently. However, he couldn’t live upto the expectations this time and was cleaned up by Morris on 11. KKR needed to shift gears with eight wickets in hand and as many overs to spare; Rana decided to take on Morris and fell prey to his persistence. Rana turned out to be handy with the ball, giving away just 12 runs in two overs and scalped the prized wicket of Pant.   

Dinesh Karthik (4/10): One of the runners for the World Cup spot, Dinesh Karthik needed some big runs under his belt to make his presence unavoidable for the squad selection which is set to be announced on Monday. Unfortunately, he timed a delivery straight into the hands of the square leg fielder. Karthik has been an astute captain, but an ordinary batsman this season. He does gets an extra point for his excellence behind the stumps to get rid of Shaw. 

Andre Ruseell (8.5/10): The crowd at Eden Gardens went berserk the moment Rana was dismissed. No, they were not cheering for Morris, but for the batsman who was about to walk in next. Yes, it was their man in form, the one-man army, the Caribbean giant - Andre Russell. He is the most valuable all-rounder in this IPL for a reason and he proved his worth once again with some monstrous strokes and aggressive hitting. Unlike his previous knocks, Russell didn’t go all guns blazing, but also didn’t shy away from dispatching deliveries pitched in his zone. He has surpassed 300-runs this season already and that too at a blistering strike-rate of 212 with six consecutive 40+ scores.

Kuldeep Yadav (6.5/10): The spin wizard was always going to be a difficult customer to deal with on this surface. He may not be among the wickets, but creates the pressure with his tight line and length and this game was no different. Kuldeep did his job well, but DC batsmen were just too good on this day as reflected in Kuldeep’s number which read 28 for none in four overs.  

Piyush Chawla (3.5/10): Not many expected KKR to cross the 175-run mark once Russell and Brathwaite were dismissed, but Chawla had other ideas. He took on the DC bowlers with immense confidence and got some priceless runs in the end. Chawla may have excelled with the bat, but failed terribly with the ball. His googlies were picked easily and looked bereft of oomph as he ran out of options quickly.  

Lockie Ferguson (2.5/10): Very few bowlers are blessed with the kind of pace Lockie Ferguson possesses, but he hasn’t done justice to it so far. Lack of control and inability to adapt to the conditions have been the main reasons behind Ferguson’s expensive figures. He gave away 37 runs in three overs and only created more problems for his captain.  

Prasidh Krishna (6.5/10): KKR have showed immense faith in Prasidh Krishna and the lanky bowler has repaid it with interest. Krishna caught the big fish Prithvi Shaw to make early dent in Delhi’s run-chase, but lacked support from the other end. He continues to grow in stature as Kolkata’s strike bowler and will be the man to watch out for in the games to come.