KKR vs MI | Player Ratings - Andre Russell, Shubman Gill help Kolkata Knight Riders gun down Mumbai Indians by 34 runs
Andre Russell’s all-round heroics and Shubman Gill’s brilliance with the bat helped Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians by 34 runs in Kolkata. Russell stitched an astute innings while Gill showed his class to ensure KKR had enough runs on the board despite a Hardik Pandya scare.
Chris Lynn (7/10): After a hot and cold run in this season so far, Chris Lynn needed to go all guns blazing if KKR even wanted to put up a fight against MI, let alone winning. He assessed the batting-friendly conditions at the earliest and unleashed a barrage of monstrous strokes to get KRR off to a flying start. This is the kind of knock that can lift a team up at the start when the chips are down and Lynn batted with unmatched confidence for his 54 off 29 deliveries.
Shubman Gill (8/10): Tipped to be the flag-bearer for India in the future, Gill’s innings was a classic example behind him earning the massive trust of the pundits. There was elegance, there was power, more importantly, he batted with a lot of sense. Gill stroked the ball perfectly from the outset and showed extreme composure even when he was on the cruise mode. His stakes in the KKR dugout have undoubtedly increased after this heroic innings.
Andre Russell (10/10): It does not take any rocket science to figure out that your best batsman should face most of the deliveries. Russell has been in scintillating form this season and has haunted bowlers with his muscle power and power-hitting. KKR fans couldn’t believe their eyes when Russell walked out to take guard at three at Eden Gardens. This was not a flashy Russell going after the bowlers from the start, he took his time first to churn out the tough runs at the start before going for the kill later. Eventually, the move of elevating Russell bore fruitful results as the Caribbean giant smacked 80 off 40 deliveries to help KKR post a gigantic total of 232. Apart from his exploits with the bat, Russell was KKR’s best bowler too, chipping two wickets for 25 in four overs. Is there anything Russell cannot do?
Dinesh Karthik (6.5/10): This is exactly what form can do. After scoring that gigantic knock in the previous game, Dinesh Karthik was the obvious choice for the number 4 spot after Gill’s fall. And the KKR skipper complemented Russell well and didn’t let the tempo down. With Russell in manic mode, Karthik dispatched deliveries pitched in his zone and did a fantastic job in ensuring Russell got most of the strike.
Robbie Uthappa (6/10): Uthappa was making a comeback in this game and would have loved to get some runs under his belt on this batting paradise, but it wasn’t to be. The top-order flourish meant Uthappa was kept back the side preferred the muscle power of Russell and Karthik’s slyness at three and four respectively.
Nitish Rana (6/10): When the surface is so juicy, the batsmen sitting in the dugout are tempted to a different level and there is no reason whey Nitish Rana would have felt otherwise. Rana has been a vital cog in this KKR line-up but his knack of building the innings was done by Russell tonight, which probably forced him down the order.
Rinku Singh (6/10): Though he didn’t have any role to play with the bat or ball, Rinku Singh ensured he chipped in on the field. He was a livewire on the field and had a busy day in saving crucial runs for his side. After all, cricket gives you an opportunity to chip in from so many doors.
Sunil Narine (4/10): With the stage almost set by the KKR batsmen, all KKR bowlers had to do was dry up the runs and force MI batsmen into doing something foolish. Sunil Narine stuck to his guns and got rid of de Kock to draw the first blood and push MI on the backfoot at the outset. Later, Narine did get the better of Pollard but when Pandya broke the shackles even he wasn’t spared.
Piyush Chawla (2/10): It’s true that most of the bowlers had a nightmare bowling at Eden Gardens tonight, but Chawla showed temperament of a club level bowler. He looked very ordinary and despite being a leg-spinner, he struggled to trouble right-handed Pandya whatsoever. All that KKR wanted from him was to not pitch deliveries in Pandya’s hitting zone, but his figures of 57 for 1 portray the story.
Harry Gurney (7/10): Is he even a fast bowler? That’s exactly the question that springs to mind when Harry Gurney delivers the ball. He started off with his stock delivery - the slower one and continued to bank on them. His figures of 37 for 2 on a night where bowlers were hammered may look decent, but add Rohit and Hardik’s wicket to it and the performance deserves a round of applause.
Sandeep Warrier (6/10): With movement available with the new ball, Karthik opted to bowl out Warrier straight up. It was a commendable performance by the Kerala guy in KKR debut where he kept things quiet and banked on his control and movement. Although he bowled when MI were struggling in hot water, his discipline and the heart with which he bowled in powerplay was noteworthy.
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