IPL Qualifier 1 | Player Ratings - Chennai Super Kings made to play eliminator as Mumbai Indians keep Chepauk love story alive
Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni tried their level best to arrest the slide, but the lack of good total on the board resulted in CSK continued the trend of being Mumbai Indians’ bunny. While Rayudu’s innings need more than a trifling mention, Imran Tahir also gave his all to alter the course of the game.
Shane Watson (1/10): The problems with Shane Watson is a deep rooted one as the batsman often struggles in the powerplay, but like MS Dhoni, he unleashes his brutal self after figuring out the pace of the wicket. The Chennai wicket today started turning very early in the game - as was the case in the first few games in the season - and Watson, instead of playing in his obvious fashion, was deceived by the turn to be dismissed for 10.
Faf du Plessis (2/10): Chennai Super Kings have won nine games in the league phase this season, but as a matter of fact, their top order didn’t contribute a lot in those games. They have lost 29 wickets in the powerplay this season, five more than the second-placed RCB, and Faf just added to the same tonight. After a scratchy start, he became Rahul Chahar’s first victim on 6 thanks to the insane amount of turn he was garnering off the surface.
Suresh Raina (2/10): One of the things that Mumbai Indians have mastered is using match-ups to great use and Mumbai used the offspinner versus left-hander tactic, bringing in Jayant Yadav. One thing that alluded Raina after getting an eye in with a couple of free-hits, and being unsure about the pitch of the ball, Yadav ballooned vertically, and eventually the bowler got under it himself to send him back. The intensity with which Raina plays spinners was nowhere close to the level one should expect and even though the wicket had some assistance for the spinners early on, his meek dismissal left CSK middle-order a lot to achieve.
Murali Vijay (4.5/10): Coming after Suresh Raina’s dismissal, Murali Vijay was entrusted with the responsibility to do the same job that Subramaniam Badrinath was doing all those years ago. However, he took on the charge from the very first ball and ended up having a 26-ball 26 to his name. That looked good on paper because everyone around him forgot that it was a T20 game and not a 50-over game.
MS Dhoni (7/10): The three-time IPL winning skipper has been CSK’s biggest saviour this season and even though the fact that he wasn’t at his best tonight, the strength of mind he showed to shrug off the difficult period and score 37 off 29 was remarkable. His unusual captaincy also gave a different dimension to the team as he stationed all but two players on the off-side against Quinton de Kock and forced him to go for shots against the turn. That built pressure and CSK had an allowance to MI middle-order faster than they imagined.
Ambati Rayudu (7/10): Ambati Rayudu’s talents have diminished in some people's eyes - I am one of them - especially because of how ugly his batting looks but for CSK, he has been their biggest saviour tonight. When the top-order collapsed, Rayudu was briefly caught in two minds as the visitors clawed with savage intensity to keep their Chennai affair alive, but he persisted in his approach and ended up having a 42 next to his name. A strike rate of 113.15 was not a good-looking one, but the wicket was no batting-friendly either.
Dwayne Bravo (3/10): Bravo’s lack of penetration and the wider lines had a very big ripple effect on CSK after the spinners’ falling. However, it would be grossly unfair to solely blame him for that as the ball had no help for the pacers in the second innings and the grip resulted in the seam having a deviation almost on all deliveries.
Ravindra Jadeja (6.5/10): As Stephen Fleming rightfully predicted in his in-game interview with Sanjay Manjrekar, Ravindra Jadeja extracted an edge but that was put down by Shane Watson. However, he did try his best and conceded just 18 runs off four overs to ensure that CSK had a chance. His bad luck was that the total was too less to defend.
Harbhajan Singh (3.5/10): The off-spinner was going to be Chennai’s biggest strength considering the Mumbai top-order had as many as two left-handers, but Harbhajan couldn’t do much. He dismissed de Kock, more because of the latter’s lack of understanding of the field placement, but he eventually went for Jadeja-kind of role, focusing more on restricting the run flow than picking a wicket.
Deepak Chahar (1.5/10): Deepak Chahar’s performance with the ball was the right kind of start that CSK desperately wanted, given the low-score that they were defending. However, like all other pacers tonight, Chahar struggled a fair bit and had no control over the ball whatsoever. It was all fair because his cousin was having fun with the ball in opposition territory and his chance of FIGJAM went all wrong.
Imran Tahir (5.5/10): How could things have a real end without Imran Tahir making a full stretch run with his arms in a sign of triumph. He did that twice, on back-to-back deliveries, but the game was almost in Mumbai’s kitty by then. He didn’t sacrifice any style in producing a tournament of incredible substance, and it would be nice for CSK to give him a touching tribute with a couple of wins.
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