IPL 2019 | Player Ratings - DC’s Shikhar Dhawan rediscovers his lost mojo to gun down KKR

Prithvi Shaw (5/10): Tipped to be the next big thing in Indian cricket, Prithvi Shaw played some mind-boggling strokes to commence his innings but couldn’t last long. His style of play and approach is quite reminiscent to Virender Sehwag and so was his dismissal. The pitch was conducive for batting but DC needed a solid start to gain momentum in the run-chase, which wasn’t the case as Shaw fell for 14.  

Shikhar Dhawan (9/10): Shikhar Dhawan’s lean patch was raising concerns regarding his spot in the line-up and, more importantly, in the national ODI side. The southpaw is widely reckoned of making wild comebacks and this innings was just a testament to it. He looked sluggish at the start, but found his rhythm in no time to score an unbeaten 97 to carry his team over the line. Dhawan was unstoppable once the ball started hitting the middle of his willow and ensured he got a big score to silent his harshest critics.  

Shreyas Iyer (3.5/10): His dismissal came as a huge blow for the DC dugout, he has been in tremendous form and the onus of taking this run-chase close was on him. Iyer did a good job as a captain, he maneuvered the bowlers well and constantly looked for wickets to build pressure.   

Rishabh Pant (8/10): Pant has toyed with bowlers in this tournament and a lot of DC’s success depends on the way the southpaw fares. One thing was clear - if DC needed to win this game, Pant’s contribution was pivotal. He stitched a match-winning partnership with Dhawan and got his side on the brink of a much-needed victory. Catches win matches! The cliche has a definite truth around it. Pant took a magnificent catch to get rid of a well set Robin Uthappa, an effort that earns him an extra point in my book. 

Colin Ingram(5.5/10): The job was almost done when Ingram took guard, but Delhi have choked in the past which would have given KKR some hope in the closing phases of the game. Ingram was in no mood of playing a supportive role and sealed the game with a massive heave over long-on.  

Chris Morris(6/10): Morris has been one of the unsung heroes in this DC side; the South African all-rounder has earned the tag of utility cricketer. His numbers may not tell the entire story, but Morris bowled beautifully in this match. After cleaning up Rana with a deadly yorker, Morris’ first few deliveries to Russell were right on the money. Eventually, he did get the better of Russell to break the KKR spine in the death overs. 

Axar Patel (6/10): It’s not easy to dominate a bowler like Axar Patel; he bowls that unhittable length. But Gill did well to sneak crucial runs off his spell. Axar remained wicketless, but did well to not leak a lot of runs. 

Keemo Paul (3.5/10): A bad day in office for the West Indian all-rounder with the ball and didn’t get a chance to swing his arms with the bat. Paul turned out to be very expensive with the ball but did get a couple of wickets. He was erratic at times and unfortunate too. With age being on his side, this could only be a learning curve and one can expect the Carribean cricketer to only grow from here. 

Rahul Tewatia (6/10): Tewatia didn’t get a chance to bat as Delhi Capitals’ top-order were prolific in the run-chase and got the runs with ease. The seamers did a good job in restricting the KKR side to 178 on a batting paradise and the conditions were not helpful for spin-bowling as a result of which Tewatia didn’t get a chance to have a go with the ball. His only real contribution to the game was a good catch to get rid Carlos Brathwaite in the final over.  

Kagiso Rabada (5.5/10): The spearhead of Delhi Capitals’ bowling attack got off to a horrible start, conceding three boundaries in the first over, but made an emphatic comeback in no time. The latter’s final over leaked ample of runs as Russel was on fire and looked unstoppable. The battle between Rabada and Russel was one of the key moments in this game as both have been in tremendous form. This time Russel had the last laugh and took revenge for the Super Over humiliation in their previous encounter in Delhi. .

Ishant Sharma (7.5/10): The lanky bowler got the perfect start for his side with a peach of a delivery to uproot Joe Denly’s stumps. Ishant bowled well with the new ball and kept the KKR batsmen under check. Ishant possessed immaculate control and made good use of the conditions. His figures of 1 for 21 (4 overs) in a high-scoring game speaks volumes about the kind of impact Ishant had with the ball.