MI vs KKR | Player Ratings - Failure to capitalise on batting-friendly conditions cost KKR a berth in playoffs
After a good start, Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen struggled to get going and only managed a below par total of 133 in their 20 overs. Barring Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana, none of the batsmen posed a real threat against the pumped MI bowlers and were eventually eliminated from the tournament.
Shubman Gill (2/10): After two back-to-back brilliant innings, Shubman Gill raised the bar very high with the bat. However, this just wasn’t his day as he floundered after a sluggish start. He looked extremely cautious and one just cannot ignore the fact that MI did bowl well with the new ball. Gill tried a couple of flashy strokes, but couldn’t get the timing right and eventually perished to a slower one from Hardik Pandya.
Chris Lynn (6/10): It was pretty clear – if KKR had to pose a threat at Wankhede, Chris Lynn had to go big. He negotiated the pumped MI attack with utmost care before unleashing a barrage of monstrous strokes. He needed to carry on, but picked the wrong bowler to be dismissed on 41 and his dismissal instantly dented KKR’s innings as the run-rate dropped drastically in the next few overs.
Robin Uthappa (2/10): In a game where KKR’s season was on the line, Uthappa had no clue what he was doing out in the middle. Saying that he struggled to get going would be an understatement and his 25 dot balls in this innings corroborates the belief. His inability to rotate the strike only added pressure on the other batsmen as they continued to take risks and perished. He’s an experienced campaigner and has been in similar situations before, but failed terribly tonight. The harder he tried, the more he struggled.
Andre Russell (1/10): It needed no rocket science to figure out that your best batsman, more importantly, your man in-form needed to face as many deliveries as possible. The frustration was visible in Russell’s body language and the pressure that the No. 3 and 4 accumulated was just huge. Nevertheless, Russell did have good amount of overs to play out, but a clever execution of plan didn’t even let the Caribbean giant open his account. With the ball, Russell had a forgettable night, conceding 34 in 13 deliveries. This is how important Russell is to KKR, a bad day cost his side a much-win game.
Dinesh Karthik (2/10): Was promoting himself ahead of a firing Russell a brave move or one that smacks of convenience is a debatable question. But Karthik didn’t do anything of substance to justify the move and perished after enduring nine balls for mere three runs. In a crunch situation such as this, the captain needed to lead from the front, which wasn’t the case with KKR. Another question that Karthik will have to answer is the batting position of Nitish Rana.
Nitish Rana (6/10): Just when KKR fans started losing their faith, Nitish Rana infused some momentum with a much-needed cameo of 26 off 13 deliveries. On a surface, where most of his peers were trying very hard to score runs, Rana batted with some flair. Had he batted till the end, KKR would have found them in a much better position than what they eventually ended with.
Rinku Singh (4/10): With MI tightening the noose around KKR, Rinku Singh had an opportunity to become a star by breaking the shackles. But MI bowlers turned out to be too hot for them to handle. He didn’t get the timing right in his stay of six deliveries at the crease. On the field, Rinku was a livewire and saved a lot of runs for his side.
Sunil Narine (3.5/10): Without much of a help from the surface, Narine struggled to trouble MI batsmen while defending a modest total. Though he was economical, MI needed wickets from their mystery spinner, which wasn’t the scenario. And one cannot ignore the fact that KKR didn’t have enough runs on the board for their bowlers to battle for.
Harry Gurney (4/10): This was the kind of a surface where slower deliveries worked really well for MI bowlers and Gurney did well to contain the run flow in his first two overs. It would be absolutely cruel to criticise most of the KKR bowlers as the pitch didn’t have enough help for the bowlers and their batsmen failed to get the big runs in the first place.
Sandeep Warrier (5/10): He has been one of the positives for KKR this season and continued to impress in this outing as well. Warrier only conceded 25 in four overs, but a wicket or two would have only given his figures a solid look.
Prasidh Krishna (4.5/10): He picked the only wicket of MI’s innings and his spell oscillated between mediocrity and sparks of brilliance. He was erratic at times and MI didn’t waste any time on capitalising on the loose ones. While defending this total, the only KKR would have won this game was by chipping early wickets, which wasn’t the case. Krishna has impressed many with his pace and control, but needs to pull up on consistency.
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