IPL FInal | Player Ratings: Shane Watson’s fighting 80 in vain as CSK lose last-ball thriller

IPL FInal | Player Ratings: Shane Watson’s fighting 80 in vain as CSK lose last-ball thriller

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Shane Watson once again delivered in the big final and scored a fighting 80 to keep CSK afloat in the run chase, but a last over fumble cost them the game. Watson lacked support from one end as CSK fumbled on the last delivery where the side just needed 2 from the last ball.

Faf du Plessis (6.5/10): For a brief period, du Plessis gave the MI fans a huge scare with his calculated aggression in the third over, but the threat ended on the last delivery itself. He has been the man in-form for CSK this season and the side needed him to fire in the high-voltage run chase. But du Plessis fizzled out after a great start. It was very important to not get carried away after squeezing 14 runs off the first five balls, but du Plessis could have nudged the ball for a single instead of going for a big stroke, which eventually cost him his wicket. 

Shane Watson (8.5/10): There shouldn’t be any mystery behind CSK’s persistence with Shane Watson. A big final, a big match and the big man stands up and delivers. After a series of struggling performances, Watson silent his harshest critics with a splendid performance. He has earned the tag of being a big match player with this innings, but an erratic second run call in the last over didn’t let him achieve fruitful dividends.  

Suresh Raina (1.5/10): On a surface where his peers were negotiating the MI bowlers without much of a trouble, Raina looked like a sitting duck. MI had a game plan devised for him, but the leg-spin of Rahul Chahar did the trick. The southpaw was trapped leg before on 8 off 14 and his dismissal gave MI the much-needed breakthrough.     

Ambati Rayudu (1/10): When Rayudu walked out to bat, the job was simple - rotate the strike and take the game as deep as possible. Bumrah was brought in to get another wicket and Rayudu gloved one deadly bouncer to the keeper to put CSK on the backfoot. Rayudu’s dismissal put pressure on Watson and with CSK playing a batsman less, the job only got tougher for Dhoni and the rest.   

MS Dhoni (4/10): After a sudden middle-order collapse, CSK found themselves in hot water and all the hopes inevitably relied on the skipper. This was a tailor-made situation for someone like Dhoni, who has won games like these day in and day out. But a small calculation error cost Dhoni his prized wicket and to an extent, CSK’s hopes. In a rush of blood, perhaps, Dhoni attempted to sneak a single off an overthrow but Ishan Kishan hit bull’s eye to send Dhoni back to the hut by a whisker.  

Ravindra Jadeja (4/10): With other bowlers getting the job done, Jadeja bowled two economical overs to provide the kind of control Dhoni wanted in the middle overs. His fielding was outstanding and almost pulled off an incredible catch to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav on the boundary. Jadeja remained unbeaten on five, but didn't get enough strike in the final over to get the job done for CSK.   

Dwayne Bravo (6/10): His figures of 3 for 24 may not look quite convincing, but the fact that he bowled an over in death to a red hot Pollard makes it special. He produced three dot deliveries on a trot in the last over to keep things quiet but Pollard fired on all cylinders in the next three. However, Bravo just conceded 9 runs in the final over to restrict MI under 150. With the bat, Bravo played a run-a-ball 15 to keep CSK’s hopes alive alongside Watson. 

Deepak Chahar (8/10): What separates a special talent from the ordinary is the ability to bounce back after being crushed. Quinton de Kock milked three sixes in his very first over and this thumping dented his new ball reputation big time. But Chahar was quick to make amends and bounced back emphatically in the next over with the prized wicket of MI skipper Rohit Sharma. And by catching the big fish Hardik Pandya in the 19th over, Chahar has definitely earned the tag of a versatile bowler.  

Shardul Thakur (5/10): His inclusion in the first game at the expense of Murali Vijay didn’t make a lot of sense since he only bowled a solitary over. He wanted to prove his worth and justify his selection, which he did with the dismissal of de Kock and his animated send-off to the southpaw was an indication of how badly he needed that. Further, Thakur repaid the faith with interest after getting rid of Krunal Pandya with a splendid running catch. His figures would have sported a better look had Suresh Raina not dropped Hardik Pandya off his bowing. Thakur squandered a golden opportunity of becoming a protagonist for CSK when he went to whip Malinga off the final ball where his side needed 2 runs off the final ball. A nudge here or there would have done the trick, but Shardul was so close yet so far!  

Harbhajan Singh (7/10): One shouldn’t be fooled by his wicketless spell, Harbhajan Singh sustained a lot of pressure with his economical bowling. The way he slowed things down was outstanding and did well to put brakes on MI’s run in his only over in the powerplay. The fact that he conceded just a single boundary in the game of fours and sixes speaks about his effectiveness. The moment he got used to the conditions, Harbhajan exploited it quite well and didn’t offer a lot of pace to let the ball grip.

Imran Tahir (7/10): Tahir has quite convincingly debunked the theory of leg-spinners being expensive in this format of uncertainties by claiming the purple cap this season. His leg-spin has been a sensation this season and the ball has been coming out quite beautifully off his hand. Dhoni had so much faith in his abilities that he saved him to tackle the MI big-hitters in the second-half. By getting rid of MI’s middle-order, Tahir did what was expected out of him in the big match.

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