IPL 2019 | Player Ratings: Andre Russell, Nitish Rana’s heroics go in vain as KKR lose by 10 runs against RCB
Despite Andre Russell and Nitish Rana’s late assault, KKR succumbed to a heart-breaking 10-run defeat at the hands of RCB. Russell looked in surreal form as he smashed RCB bowlers all over the park while chasing a massive target of 213 and was equally supported by Rana at the other end.
Chris Lynn (2/10): One could only imagine what would have happened had Chris Lynn got a fiery start in this run-chase. Lynn struggled against Steyn and eventually fell prey to his persistence on a solitary run. Lynn was in red-hot form and KKR needed him to fire while chasing such a mammoth total, but it wasn’t to be.
Sunil Narine (5/10): Dinesh Karthik wasted no time in getting his primary weapon into the attack the moment he realised there was something in the pitch for the bowlers. Narine once again delivered when his team needed him to by dismissing Parthiv Patel in his second over. He bowled tight lines and was somewhat between economical and expensive. With the bat, Narine had a tough time as the situation demanded a little too much from the southpaw.
Nitish Rana (8/10): Just when KKR fans started losing hopes, Rana cut loose to bring KKR back in the hunt. While KKR kept losing wickets at the other end, Rana stood his ground and played some mind-boggling shots to put up a show along with Andre Russeell. He remained unbeaten on 85 off 46 and missed out on a historic win by a whisker. Had the top-order fired, the story could have been different.
Robin Uthappa (1/10): With the World Cup already announced, Robin Uthappa was eyeing for a Test spot and his innings today corroborates the belief. Uthappa not only endured too many dot deliveries but also put pressure on his non-striker.
Dinesh Karthik (6/10): Karthik didn’t face a single delivery as KKR lost the game by a whisker in the last over. His captaincy was not up to the mark, he was brilliant at times and made tactical errors as well. Russell, their most impactful bowler, didn’t bowl out his overs while the strategy against Ali and Kohli was rather ordinary. He hardly attacked and many opportunities were not converted into wickets.
Shubman Gill (2/10): Not everyone in this game found it easy to score with the word go. For some, it was a batting paradise while for the others it was a minefield. Gill was elevated in the batting order but couldn’t do anything of substance. The asking rate was too much and the pressure RCB bowlers had created was only mounting.
Piyush Chawla (2.5/10): Chawla’s solitary over conceded 10 runs as the presence of a hard-hitting Moeen Ali restricted Karthik from throwing the ball to the leggie. He could have been effective or not is an open debate, but skipper’s lack of faith is justified by looking at the way Chawla has fared in the recent times.
Andre Russell (9.5/10): Is there a better all-rounder than Andre Russell in this tournament at the moment? There aren’t many and the only next player that springs to mind is Hardik Pandya. Russell snatches victories from imminent jaws of defeat, chips wickets and saves runs on the field, is there anything he cannot do? Well, don’t be surprised if the West Indian starts flying tomorrow, such has been the form of Russell. He got rid of Akshadeep Nath just when the partnership was starting to flourish and was the most economical KKR bowler on a night where his peers were taken for runs. Watching Russell bat was a joy to behold as he almost snatched an improbable win before falling just short by 10 runs. His 65 off 25 is easily one of the most memorable innings played in the history of IPL.
Kuldeep Yadav (1/10): It was just not his day! After Kohli, Moeen Ali left Kuldeep Yadav at sixes and sevens with power-hitting and deft touches. It’s not very often when Kuldeep ends with figures of 59 for none in a T20 game. His bowling is a mystery yet to be decoded, but Ali somehow found a way tonight. Kuldeep ran out of options quickly and didn’t have anything up his sleeves to put brakes on Ali and Kohli. He may have had the last laugh when Ali finally top-edged one off the final ball but the damage was already done in the first five deliveries where 27 runs were squeezed by the southpaw.
Prasidh Krishna(6/10): KKR have a knack for unearthing talents every now and then and Praishdh Krishna’s evolution is a testament to it. His hard work almost paid off when he induced an outside edge of Kohli only to race towards the boundary as there was no first slip. Saying that Krishna was unfortunate would be an understatement, it looked like luck has just turned its back on the lanky pacer. He induced three top-edges in three consecutive deliveries but they all landed in no man’s land.
Harry Gurney (5/10): On a slow Eden wicket, Gurney delivered a good first over to keep things tight against the explosive RCB openers. In fact, he managed to produce two edges but didn’t have the legs to carry to the fielder. He varied his pace wisely and it’s not an everyday scenario where a bowler frequently beats the outside edge of Virat Kohli with the new ball, arguably the best batsman in contemporary cricket. However, no bowler was spared when Kohli and Ali were batting in top gear and Gurney too went for ample of runs.
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