IPL 10, Match 15, DD v KXIP - Delhi Daredevils Player Ratings

The spirited Kings XI Punjab seemed to be on a merry run this season. They had managed to win their first two games of the season. However, a defeat in their previous match had dented their season run. The match against the Delhi Daredevils proved to be no different either. They were beaten badly in the match and that saw them endure their second defeat in succession.

Talking about the game, Delhi Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan won the toss and opted to bat first. They lost their star performer of the previous match – Sanju Samson – cheaply on the day. However, it was the young English batsman Sam Billings who proved to be the new star for them on the day. Billings hit a brisk fifty to set the base for the Delhi innings.

His knock, combined with some last overs hitting by Corey Anderson and Chris Morris saw them post 188/6 on the board. Kings Xi Punjab, in their response, were never in the run chase. They kept losing wickets at frequent intervals and that never let them get in the scheme of things for the match. Barring a knock of substance from Axar Patel in the lower, there was nothing much to talk about the Kings batting.

Here are the Delhi Daredevils Player Ratings for the match:

Shreyas Iyer – 3/10

Shreyas Iyer walked back to the Delhi team after having missed out on the first couple of games for the team. The young dynamic batsman Iyer could not do much on the day though. He got a good decent start in the game and looked set at the onset. He provided some support to Sam Billings during his stay at the crease.

He finished with 22 runs to his name that came off 17 deliveries. He hit 3 boundaries during his stay at the crease. Iyer batted in the middle order and that perhaps dented the way he would have ideally prepared things for. He has been a successful opener for his teams in the past and that position suits him the most.

Sam Billings – 8/10

Sam Billings was the star performer for Delhi Daredevils in the match. Billings had been getting starts in the previous two matches but failed when it came to carrying it forward. On this day, Billings was outstanding with bat. He started his onslaught right from the word go.

He targeted the new ball bowlers of Kings XI Punjab and did not let any new bowler settle at the crease. During his stay at the crease, he dominated the bowlers as he scored 55 runs off just 40 balls. He struck 9 boundaries in his innings. Sam looked good for more but perished in the 13th over. The Daredevils have surely found a good batsman as their opener for the season.

Sanju Samson – 3/10

Sanju Samson was truly exceptional the last time he had turned out for the Delhi Daredevils. However, he failed to continue with his good run with the bat. Samson opened the innings with Billings. Both batsmen took off on a great note. Samson looked ominous early on in the powerplay.

He hit a maximum to go with a couple of boundaries first up to set up the Delhi innings. He was dismissed on 18 that came off 19 balls. For the think tank, it will be nice to have Samson in the middle order. His ton in the previous match had come in when he was in the middle order. Now, being drafted as an opener did not quite work well for him.

Rishabh Pant – 2/10

In such a short time, Rishabh Pant has made a mark for himself in the world of cricket. The young Delhi had is a renowned hitter of the ball. He started off with his hitting spree on this day as well. He hit three boundaries as soon as he came to the crease. In the 9 balls that he faced, he scored 15 runs with the bat. He tried to up the ante and was unsuccessful in his attempt of doing so.

Corey Anderson – 8/10

Corey Anderson was the Player of the Match in the encounter between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils. Anderson was influential not only with the bat but also with the ball on the day. With the bat, he came in at number 6 when the team needed a late flourish.

He had started off on a very slow note and there were talks about him losing the charm with the bat. However, it was just then that Anderson used the long handle. He struck a quick unbeaten 39 off just 22 balls with 3 fours and as many sixes to help Delhi post 188 on the board. With the ball, he picked the key wicket of David Miller on 24.He returned with figrues of 1/23 in his 3 overs.

Chris Morris – 8/10

Chris Morris has undoubtedly been the most valuable player for the Daredevils this season. He showed hit mettle with the bat and the ball yet again in the match. He was the pick of the bowlers for the Delhi team in the match. In his full quota of 4 overs that he bowled, he gave away just 23 runs and bagged 3 wickets on the day.

He had started off on a high when he got the wicket of Hashim Amla early on in the innings. He then provided the finishing touches as he got rid off Axar Patel and KC Cariappa in the final over of the match. Earlier in the day, He had scored 16 off 8 balls with a four and a six to his name.

Karun Nair – 1/10

Karun Nair seems to have lost the midas touch that once being considered to have been a god gift to him. His form with the bat has dwindled ever since he had hit a triple century last year. He has failed to put up a big score since then in any format of the game. In the IPL this season, he had two poor outings in the first two matches. The third one, that was played against KXIP, proved to be worse for him – if not the worst. He was dismissed for a duck on the day.

Pat Cummins – 8.5/10

Australian speedster Pat Cummins bowled with fiery pace and aggression on the day. He bowled his complete quota of four overs to return with figures 2/23. He started off with the wicket of Eoin Morgan. He had him caught by Karun Nair on 22 in the 10th over of the match. Later in the match, he bowled Mohit Sharma on 13 to complete his double for the day. He has been a revelation for the Delhi camp this season.

Amit Mishra – 7/10

Veteran leg spinner Amit Mishra has made it a habit to be economical with the ball in this tournament. Considering that they were playing against Kings XI Punjab, whose skipper – Glenn Maxwell – has had a poor run against the leg spinners in the past, Mishra fancied his chances in the game.

As soon as Maxwell walked in to bat, Mishra was introduced in the attack. The leggie responded well by getting the wicket in just 2 deliveries to send Maxwell packing on 16. In the 3 overs that he bowled, Mishra returned with figures of 1/16 in his quota of 3 overs.

Shahbaz Nadeem – 6/10

Shahbaz Nadeem has been one of the most underrated bowler in the star studded Delhi Daredevils line up. Nadeem was given the ball in the powerplay and the veteran left arm spinner responded in fine fashion. He bowled tight lines with the new ball early on in the innings.

Nadeem caught Manan Vohra off guard as he trapped him lbw in his very first over. In his second over, he got the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha. In the two overs that he bowled today, he gave only 13 runs for his two wickets. The point to note here is that he gave only 13 runs in the powerplay.

Zaheer Khan – 5/10

Delhi Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan had a very satisfying day at work on the captaincy front. However, on the personal front, he had a very ordinary with the ball. Unlike the last game wherein he had scalped wickets at will, Zaheer was very expensive on the day against Kings XI Punjab.

He was the least economical bowler for the Delhi camp today. He leaked runs at an economy as high as 9.5. In the 4 overs that he bowled today, he gave away 38 runs. The team would want him to get back to his personal best in the matches to follow.