IPL 10, Match 24, RPS v SRH - Rising Pune Supergiant Player Ratings

The stage was set for the third home game for Rising Pune Supergiant in the ongoing edition of the IPL. They have had a rough time in the tournament thus far and the ride has not been the easiest for them. Having started off on a winning note at Pune, they could not pull off similar performances in the other matches.

Now they were back to their home venue that has not been a lucky fortress for them. Moreover, they were up against the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. Coming into the game, the toss was won by Rising Pune Supergiant skipper Steve Smith and he had opted to bowl first. SRH skipper David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan gave a brilliant start to the team and SRH had a firm base to start things off.

Kane Williamson, the star of the previous game, had a low time at the office. It was the power of the Moises Henriques in the middle order that saw Sunrisers post 176/3 in their 20 overs. Henriques scored his 3rd fifty of the season. In the run chase, Rising Pune Supergiant

In the run chase, Rising Pune Supergiant were jolted early with the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane. Rahul Tripathi struck his maiden IPL fifty to give a flying start as a counter-attack measure. However, it was the MS Dhoni show that took the limelight on the day. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 61 off just 34 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name. RPS won by 4 wickets.

Here are the Rising Pune Supergiant Player Ratings for the RPS v SRH encounter:

Ajinkya Rahane – 1/10

Ajinkya Rahane is perhaps one of the seniormost players in the RPS camp. Rahane had started the tournament on a high with a fifty to his name in the very first game of the season for the team. However, he has largely failed to deliver the goods for the team in the matches that followed.

Rahane had yet another lackluster outing on the day. He was sent packing in the 4th over of the match. Rahane perished with a score of just 2 and was dismissed by Bipul Sharma in the match. It is worth noting that even during his short 7 ball stay at the crease, Rahane looked very uncomfortable at the crease.

Rahul Tripathi – 8.5/10

The young homegrown Pune lad Rahul Tripathi continues to impress with the bat. Tripathi was sensational with the bat in the first couple of matches that he played. The cricket pundits, however, complained that Tripathi has been failing to convert the impressive starts to a decent finish.

In this game, Tripathi got all his boxes ticked on the day. He had lost his senior partner Ajinkya Rahane early on in the innings. Tripathi went on to take the counter-attack and score a brisk 59 on the day. His knock helped the team get the ideal start that the team needed for the run chase. His knock came off 41 deliveries and it was his first fifty in the tournament. During his stay at the crease, Tripathi had plundered 6 boundaries and 3 sixes.

Steve Smith – 4/10

Rising Pune Supergiant skipper Steve Smith had a decent start at the crease on the day. He provided the stability to the innings when Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed cheaply on the day. While Rahul kept hitting the balls at will and took the odd risks, it was Smith who ensured that the youngster did not get overly excited on the day.

Also, Smith rallied along as he nurdled singles to keep the strike rotating. He ensured that at no point was Rahul taking too much pressure. He could not convert a decent start to a big score though. He perished after scoring 27 off 21 balls on the day.

Ben Stokes – 3/10

The big English all-rounder had all eyes on him when he walked in to join MS Dhoni at the crease in the run chase. Stokes has been the point of attraction throughout the season and it comes as no surprise after the big price tag that he carries along with himself. He could not justify his might on the day against the Sunrisers though.

With the bat, he scored only 10 off 9 balls. He could not take the team home and should have played more responsibly than what he did on the day. Earlier in the game, with the ball, Stokes bowled 2 overs with the new ball as the first change bowler. He failed to pick up a wicket though.

MS Dhoni – 9.5/10

Veteran Indian batsman MS Dhoni emerged as the star of the match. Dhoni smashed an unbeaten fifty to see Rising Pune Supergiant register their second win of the season at their home venue. It was their third win in the tournament. Dhoni has been under immense pressure in the recent times and the big knock was pretty much due from his willow.

He came in to bat at number 4 and had a tough ask in hand to endure. Dhoni took his time to settle in the initial few deliveries. Soon, he took on the charge to sent the ball to all parts of stadium. He paraded along almost singlehandedly to ease past his fifty. He finished off the game in style with a boundary. He remained unbeaten on 61 off 34 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name on the day.

Manoj Tiwary – 7.5/10

Manoj Tiwary has been the silent performer for the Rising Pune Supergiant this season. He has consistently performed well with the bat and has played some very handy cameos in the tournament thus far. On the day against SRH, Tiwary provided the right support to the former RPS skipper and did not throw away his wicket. With 3 fours to his name, he also ensured that the pressure did not creep up to MS Dhoni alone. He remained unbeaten on 17 off 8 balls when Dhoni finished things in style.

Dan Christian – 8/10

Dan Christian, pretty much like Manoj Tiwary, has been an unsung hero for the RPS camp. He has often bowled tight lines to keep things under check. Christian bowled exceptionally well on the day too and was very economical with the ball. In the 4 overs that he bowled on the day, he gave away only 20 runs.

He got the wicket of the in-form SRH batsman Kane Williamson. He ensured that he created a lot of pressure from one end that set the tone for the other bowlers to capitalize on the pressure built and scalp wickets at will. Christian did not get his chance with the bat on the day .

Washington Sundar – 6/10

Young Tamil Nadu spinner Washington Sundar got to play his first IPL match. He was drafted in the RPS squad as a replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin. He was definitely not a like for like replacement considering the stature of the veteran Indian off-spinner.

But, the youngster proved to be good enough with the ball in his first showing. He was handed the ball in the powerplay of the match. Sundar bowled 3 ovesrs up front with the new ball. He gave away 19 runs and managed to trouble the experienced opening duo of David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan. He was unlucky not to have picked up a wicket.

Shardul Thakur – 1/10

Shardul Thakur was highly impressive in the previous game. His performance in the previous game against RCB had answered the bowling woes of the Rising Pune Supergiant. Many believed that they found a wicket taker in Shardul. However, Shardul failed to back up his good performance with another good one.

He bowled his complete quota of 4 overs on the day. He was not given the new ball and that is something that perhaps hit his figures. He gave as many as 50 runs in his spell and was the most expensive bowler from his side on the daya.

Imran Tahir – 5/10

Imran Tahir was the senior spinner in the side. He did not have the best of days at the office in the last couple of matches after having started on a meritorious note. However, against Sunrisers, he managed to be decent enough with the ball. Tahir bowled 3 overs on the day and returned with figures of 1/23 in his spell. He provided the first breakthrough for the RPS in the 9th over when he dismissed Shikhar Dhawan on 30.

Jaydev Unadkat – 3.5/10

Much like Shardul Thakur, even Jaydev Unadkat was very impressive with the ball in the last game. He failed to come up with a repeat performance on the day though. He bowled his complete quota of four overs and leaked runs at an economy over 10. He gave 41 runs in his spell. However, he had a wicket to show up against his name. He bowled the opener David Warner on 43.