DC vs KXIP | Player Ratings: Chris Gayle heroic knock in vain as other batsmen fail to step up in Kings XI Punjab’s loss to Delhi Capitals
Chris Gayle played another maverick knock to get KXIP off to a brisk start but was let down by other batsmen as Punjab lost by five wickets. Batting first, KXIP looked good for 180 plus score, but a batting collapse meant that DC were able to claw back into the game and restrict the visitors to 163.
KL Rahul (3.5/10): The slow nature of the Kotla pitch makes the powerplay overs very crucial for any batting side. KL Rahul wanted to make the most of the field restrictions and decided to exploit Sandeep Lamichhane’s inexperience. Rahul played two brilliant strokes to milk 10 runs off the first two balls but was eventually outfoxed by the bowler on the third delivery. In this game of uncertainties, small phases swing the momentum massively, and Rahul was eyeing to do the same in that over.
Chris Gayle (8.5/10): The Gaylestorm struck Delhi as the Universe Boss played one of his best innings this season. He made a mockery of Delhi Capitals’ bowling with monstrous hitting and astute batsmanship. Gayle was unfortunate to have been caught at the boundary, credit to some incredible athleticism by Colin Ingram. He played a blistering 69 run innings off just 37 deliveries to set the stage on fire, but the failure of the batsmen who followed him denied KXIP of a gigantic total, which looked achievable as long as Gayle stood at the crease.
Mayank Agarwal (2/10): The elegant right-handed batsman has been getting starts but has failed to convert them into massive scores in the last two games. With Rahul out early, there were expectations of Agarwal playing a big innings tonight, but that remained beyond the realms of fantasy. He didn’t look comfortable at all and eventually fell prey to Rabada’s persistence.
David Miller (2/10): One of the most talented T20 cricketers, David Miller’s hitting is a joy to behold. However, his performance in recent times has been a mixture of brilliance and mediocrity. After a series of low scores, Miller struck some form in the last game but failed to get going tonight. His parched runs column are now raising questions over his spot in the line-up and the axe is certainly looming over ‘Killer-Miller’.
Sam Curran (2/10): Knowing that they were in a delicate situation after Gayle's dismissal, Punjab knew that they needed a quiet partnership of 20-30 runs and decided to send in Sam Curran. The Englishman, however, was deceived by a wrong un and ended up giving Lamichhane a simple return catch. His bowling again left a lot to be desired as he failed to build the pressure and hardly posed a threat with the ball.
Mandeep Singh (5.5/10): When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! KXIP needed a saviour when the chips were down and the situation was tailor made for someone like Mandeep to make an impression. Mandeep's rescuing attempt fell apart when Axar Patel made deep inroads by getting the better of him at a crucial juncture of the game. Mandeep could have been more sensible and waited till the 19th over before going all guns blazing.
Ravichandran Ashwin (5/10): After the Mankading incident, Ashwin has been the talk of the town, has been a frontrunner in the world of memes, but tonight he led the side with example. When the batting collapsed, Ashwin the batsman came to KXIP’s rescue and ensured his side posted a decent total. While he may have excelled with the bat, he failed to chip in with wickets and was a touch expensive. Further, Dhawan gave a moment to laugh at when Ashwin once again tried to Mankad a batsman this season.
Harpreet Brar (5/10): IPL is all about unearthing talents and when Harpreet Brar smashed the final ball off Rabada for a maximum, another talent was unveiled. The southpaw has an extremely cool head over his shoulders and his composure under the pump corroborates the belief. However, Harpreeet turned out to be very expensive with the ball, which was also his primary role. He lacked control and the length was just too erratic.
Murugan Ashwin (7/10): He has been an unsung hero in this KXIP line-up, whose performance often gets overshadowed by other star players. Despite having difficulty in gripping the ball, Murugan Ashwin showed good discipline and didn’t leak too many runs. It was actually surprising to see him not finishing his quota of overs on a surface that was conducive for spin bowling. Did the KXIP skipper missed a trick by not bowling him out?
Hardus Viljoen (6/10): The South African pacer bagged big wickets but leaked too many runs, which didn’t help the team’s cause. It is evident that Viljoen is putting great efforts, but at the end of the day performance is what matters. Lack of variations and being predictable at times resulted in yet another expensive spell for Viljoen.
Mohammed Shami (8/10): The spearhead of KXIP’s bowling attack started off with sheer brilliance, kept beating both the openers with smart variations and raw pace. He has been expensive in the games before but managed to bag wickets on a regular interval. However, this time, Shami was simply outstanding and brought his team back into the game in the penultimate over. That ball to clean up Ingram was vintage Shami!
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