IPL 10, Match 30, RPS v KKR - Kolkata Knight Riders Player Ratings

The Kolkata Knight Riders stunned the Rising Pune Supergiant at the home venue of Supergiant at Pune. RPS had absolutely no clue about what perspired in the run chase. They were never in the game in the second innings as the KKR batsmen steamrolled them with ease. The bowling woes of the RPS camp was on display yet again. They dropped a few catches and that hurt them dearly.

Coming into the game, both teams had registered a win in their previous matches. On the day, it was Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir who won the toss and opted to bowl first. RPS openers did a good job to get a decent start for them. The middle order backed them as well. MS Dhoni played a quick cameo and Steve Smith showed some class with his fifty.

Towards the end, Dan Christian and Smith hit a few lusty blows to help RPS post 182 on the board. In the run chase, an MS Dhoni special helped RPS get rid of Sunil Narine cheaply. However, it was Gambhir and Robin Uthappa who stitched a marathon stand to take KKR closer to the win. Both batsmen reached their individual fifties to ensure that the team won the game with 7 wickets to their name.

Here are the Kolkata Knight Riders Player Ratings for the RPS v KKR encounter:

Gautam Gambhir – 8.5/10

Gautam Gambhir redefined the adage of leading from the front. The KKR skipepr was in sublime form in the game and played a masterly knock with the bat. Despite having lost Sunil Narine cheaply, he did not let the run flow go down in the powerplay. He took the matter to his own hands and started the counter attack. When he saw Robin Uthappa going great guns at the other end, he was happy to play the second fiddle.

He stitched a 158 run stand with Uthappa and that pretty much sealed the game for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was only unfortunate to have thrown his wicket towards the end of the innings. He perished on 62 that came off 46 balls with 6 fours and a six. En route his innings, he became the first batsman to reach 300-mark this season. Also, he became the owner of the Orange Cap as well.

Sunil Narine – 4/10

The way Sunil Narine had started off the KKR innings, he surely managed to give a threat to the opposition team. Narine hit three fours first up to set the tone of the run chase. Had there not been a magical MS Dhoni special behind the stumps, Narine could have easily taken the game away from the opposition in the early stages itself.

He scored 16 off 11 balls before being dismissed in the third over. Earlier in the match, he had bowled his complete quota of overs as well. He returned with figures of 1/31 in the 4 overs that he bowled. He managed to take the key wicket of Ajinkya Rahane, who was looking good on 46.

Robin Uthappa – 9.5/10

If Gambhir played the innings of substance, then it was Robin Uthappa who played the role of the aggressor. Uthappa had a bit of luck going his way early on in the innings. He was dropped by Jaydev Unadkat in the early overs of the game. He made the most out of the let off given to him.

Uthappa started the onslaught after that to rub salt on the wounds of the RPS bowlers. He clobbered 6 maximums and 7 fours during his whirlwind knock. He finished with 87 runs to his name in just 47 balls with a strike rate of 185.11. Uthappa perished in the 17th over in an attempt to finish things off quickly. However, he had done his job. His superlative knock helped his team register the key victory.

Manish Pandey – 6/10

Manish Pandey, pretty much like every other middle order batsman of Kolkata Knight Riders, did not have a major say on the day. He came in to bat at the final stages of the match but did not get a chance to take the strike. Earlier in the game, he was exceptional in the field though. Pandey took a good catch to dismiss Dan Christian on the final ball of the RPS innings off the bowling of Umesh Yadav.

Yusuf Pathan – 4/10

Yusuf Pathan had an unusual day at the office on the day. He found himself in the middle of the action a little too often during the RPS innings. The ball seemed to be following every fielding position he was going. Pathan missed a catch running backward in the middle overs and was the center of attraction since then for his fielding. However, the veteran all-rounder did a decent job after that blip in the field. With the bat, his services were not needed on the day and that pretty much summed up his time at the office today.

Darren Bravo – 5/10

Darren Bravo got his first game of the season today. He did not have a major role to play in the match though. Some fine batting from the Kolkata Knight Riders top order ensured that they did not require much from their lower order and the middle order on the day. Bravo came in to bat at number 4 in the 18th over of the match when KKR needed just four more to win. He wrapped things off in style with a boundary through covers as the visitors completed a 7 wicket win.

Colin de Grandhomme – 3/10

Colin de Grandhomme has a confused position in the Kolkata Knight Riders lineup. Neither is he emerging out to be the batsman for them, not he is becoming the bowler for the Knight Riders. Grandhomme, who had scalped 3 wickets in the previous game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, got only 2 overs to bowl on the day. He returned with no wickets to his name in the match and gave away 14 runs. He did not get the opportunity to bat.

Chris Woakes – 1/10

English speedster Chris Woakes had a forgettable time with the ball on the day. Woakes shared the new ball with Umesh Yadav. He started off with a peach of a delivery that left the outside edge of the batsman on the very first ball that he bowled.

However, nothing quite went his way on the day. The RPS batsmen took a special liking to his bowling and clobbered him to all parts of the park. He was the least economical among all bowlers for KKR on the day and gave runs at an economy of over 12. He gave away 38 runs in the 3 overs that he bowled on the day.

Umesh Yadav – 6.5/10

Umesh Yadav has been the premier Indian pacer in the recent times. He continued to impress in the IPL as well. Skipper Gambhir handed the new ball to Umesh and he responded in fine fashion. Despite being hit for a few fours in the early overs, Yadav came back strong later. He conceded 28 runs during his spell of 3 overs on the day. He managed to take a wicket as well. The wicket came on the final delivery of the RPS innings as Daniel Christian holed one to Manish Pandey off the bowling of Umesh.

Piyush Chawla – 5/10

Piyush Chawla provided the first breakthrough for Kolkata Knight Riders on the day. The RPS openers – Rahul Tripahi and Ajinkya Rahane – were looking set at the crease and plundered runs at will. Having added 65 runs for the first wicket, the KKR felt that RPS was dictating terms at that moment.

However, it was Piyush Chawla who was then introduced to the attack. Piyush managed to go through the defenses of Rahul Tripathi to strike first blood on the day. But that remained his only moment of joy on the day. MS Dhoni and Steve Smith took a heavy toll on him as he returned with 1/36 to his name.

Kuldeep Yadav – 7/10

Kuldeep Yadav has been a revelation of his own kind in the recent times. Ever since he made his debut in the Test series against Australia, he has started to hog a lot of limelight in every match that he plays. On the day against RPS, Kuldeep was at his very best yet again with a plethora of variations on the day. He mixed it up beautifullly to ensure that the RPS batsmen did not get away with easy runs.

The highlight of his game today was when he managed to outplay MS Dhoni. He bowled the wrong un’ to deceive Dhoni and had him stumped by Robin Uthappa. Soon, he got the wicket of Manoj Tiwary as well in similar fashion. He returned with figures of 2/31 in the four overs that he bowled on the day.