KXIP vs KKR | Player Ratings: Sam Curran-Nicholas Pooran’s efforts in vain as KXIP lose to KKR by 5 wickets
Sam Curran’s mesmerising knock and Nicholas Pooran’s efforts went in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders chased down the total without any hassle whatsoever. KXIP bowling turned out to be ordinary and barring Mohammed Shami, no bowlers really posed a threat and suffered a disheartening defeat.
Chris Gayle (2.5/10): With the noose tightening around KXIP, a Gaylestorm would have definitely calmed a lot of nerves down and gave his side a challenging total to fight for. But yet again, that remained beyond the realms of reality. Gayle floundered when his side needed him the most and further steered his side in hot water. His dipping form is not a good sign at this stage of the tournament, where KXIP would need to win every game to make it to the playoffs.
Lokesh Rahul (1/10): Not a lot of Indian batsmen are in form going into the World Cup, which is concerning for one of the strongest contenders. However, KL Rahul has been striking the ball well and has done well to justify his selection so far. He has been a force to be reckoned with at the top and another impactful innings would have been like a cherry on the cake. In a must win game, KXIP needed Rahul to fire with all guns, but it wasn’t to be as a knuckle-ball deceived his completely on 2.
Mayank Agarwal (6/10): After two big wickets were down, the young guns had to step up and shoulder the responsibility, which was rightly done by Mayank and Pooran. Watching him bat was a fine mixture of elegance and power. He shifted his gears according to the situation but made one mistake by underestimating the throwing arm of Rinku Singh, which cost him his wicket. With KXIP not having enough depth in their batting, the likes of Mayank and Pooran had to make it big.
Nicholas Pooran (6/10): He may have not have crossed the 50-run mark this season, but has certainly cemented his spot with some explosive yet, calculated batting. Pooran was batting ahead of David Miller, which meant pressure on the southpaw, but he soaked it all in and played an emphatic innings to ensure a platform was set for the next batsmen. He made batting look a lot easier and looked good for a massive score, but unfortunately missed out on a short ball by Rana only to be caught at deep mid-wicket.
Mandeep Singh (5.5/10): Talent without performance is atrocious! Mandeep has always been touted as one of the promising talents in the country, but has not quite managed to convert, which has hampered his run big time. This was a perfect platform for a batsman of his calibre to make a match out of it. Once again, he got a steady start, but failed to cross that thin line and yet again failed to impress under pressure.
Sam Curran (6.5/10): This is exactly why you splurge big bucks to players like Curran! When the chips were down, Curran stepped up and rescued KXIP innings with sophistication and shrewdness. He debunked the myth that T20 is only a muscle game, and his flawless batting which was a mixture of timing, brute force and manipulation would corroborate the belief. KXIP never looked good for 180, but Curran milked 22 runs off the final over to make the dream turn into a reality. However, Curran’s performance with the ball was contradictory, conceding 41 in four overs.
Ravichandran Ashwin (3/10): Ashwin was in the middle of an economical spell when Gill made a mockery of his bowling figures by milking two sixes and a boundary in the final over. Ashwin ran out of options in no time and looked bereft of oomph once the batsman started attacking him. With the bat, he didn’t do anything substantial either, and failed to lead his side with example.
Murugan Ashwin (2.5/10): After an economical first over, Murugan Ashwin was taken for runs by Robin Uthappa, who crafted beautiful shots against the mystery spinner. With the presence of a well set Gill and a hard-hitting Russell at the crease, Murugan Ashwin was never brought back into the attack.
Mohammed Shami (7/10): The pace spearhead has looked good with the new ball this season but that scenario has been very occasional. However, Shami’s performance tonight would settle a lot of nerves in the Indian dugout. He looked outstanding with the new leather and infused some momentum in a rather dull KXIP side by getting rid of Andre Russell on his comeback spell. On a night, where his peers were taken for cleaners, Shami was instrumental with the ball.
Arshdeep Singh (2/10): Not every bowler has the nerve to negotiate a hard-hitting batsman like Chris Lynn with the new ball. The inexperience of Arshdeep was brutally exploited by Lynn, who smashed one boundary after another to break the shackles from one end. Was it a wise decision to let the young bowler put in the hard yards against power-hitters remains an open debate, but Arshdeep didn’t do anything to pose a threat either.
Andrew Tye (1/10): A series of expensive spells in recent times will now start raising questions over Tye’s spot in the KXIP line-up. Saying that he was expensive would be an understatement and hardly posed a threat with the ball. With this performance, Tye has now remained wicketless in three games in a row and expensive at the same time.
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