IPL 10, Match 9, RPS v DD: Delhi Daredevils Player Ratings

The Delhi Daredevils had almost won their first match of the season but failed at the last juncture. Now, they were up against the Rising Pune Supergiant at the MCA Stadium in Pune. The Delhi team were searching for their first win of the season. On the other hand, the Rising Pune Supergiant side was looking to get back to winning ways as they got back to their home venue.

They had lost their previous encounter against the Kings XI Punjab and hence were looking to strike the right chord on the day. Having won the toss, RPS skipper Ajinkya Rahane opted to field first. The Delhi Daredevils were rocked early as opener Aditya Tare was dismissed cheaply for a duck. However, a brief stand between Sam Billings and Sanju Samson saw them resurrect the innings. Despite the fall of Billings, Samson continued his onslaught on the day.

Samson eventually ended up with a brilliant ton and became the first batsman to score a century in this season of IPL. A late blitz from Chris Morris that saw him strike the ball with a strike rate of 422, saw Delhi Daredevils post 205 on the board. The Rising Pune Supergiant were nowhere in the run chase and kept losing wickets in regular intervals. Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra bagged three wickets each as RPS bundled out for 108.

It was a clinical performance from the Delhi team. Here are the player ratings for the Delhi Daredevils camp:

Aditya Tare – 1/10

Delhi Daredevils opener Aditya Tare had a poor outing with the bat. He was promoted up the order in the batting line up but failed to make the most of the opportunity that he got. He had failed with his batting in the previous match as well. He had perished for a single digit score and that poor run of form rubbed on this fixture as well.

Having played so many matches in the tournament history, Tare should have shouldered more responsibility in the match. There are players in the ranks who are waiting to get the opportunity with the bat up the order. And the Mumbai skipper, who is getting the opportunity, is failing to grab it with both hands.

Sam Billings – 3/10

English batsman Sam Billings had a decent start in the match on the day. He lost the support of his opening partner Aditya Tare early on in the very second over of the game. He did not let that affect his game and helped Sanju Samson settle at the crease. He batted sensibly and hit a few occasional boundaries to keep the run flow going.

He added 69 runs with Sanj Samson for the second wicket and that set the base for the high score of the Daredevils in the match. He hit 24 runs off 17 balls with four boundaries to his name. Billings was dismissed by Imran Tahir in the 9th over.

Sanju Samson – 9.5/10

If there was a star of the match, then it was Sanju Samson. He was the leading player as he became the first centurion of the IPL 2017. Samson hammered a brilliant 102 off just 63 balls. His herculean knock was embedded with 8 boundaries and 5 towering sixes. He came in to bat early on in the innings when Tare was dismissed for a duck. The Delhi Daredevils innings could have dwindled like it did in the last match.

But Samson had other plans. He had started off in a slow fashion. He took his time to settle at the crease before getting into an attacking groove. It was in the middle overs when he decided to take on the charge and started with his attacking onslaught. He was unlucky to have not carried his bat through the

But Samson had other plans. He had started off in a slow fashion. He took his time to settle at the crease before getting into an attacking groove. It was in the middle overs when he decided to take on the charge and started with his attacking onslaught. He was unlucky to have not carried his bat through the innings. Samson was dismissed in the penultimate over after being bowled by Adam Zampa. Samson deserves every bit of rating points on the cards.

Rishabh Pant – 6/10

Rishabh Pant continued his good form in this match as well. He was the lone ranger for the Delhi Daredevils in the previous match when he had scored a gutsy fifty. He looked as if he continued on the same note. A brilliant six down the ground set the stage for his arrival at the center.

With 2 sixes and a four to his name in the match, Pant ended up with a score of 31 off 22 balls in the match. He had to depart because of a brilliant piece of fieldwork by Mayank Agarwal. It was absolutely hard luck for him as he had to walk back after a run out such as that. He, however, still gets 6 on the ratings for the composure he showed at the crease.

Corey Anderson – 2/10

Corey Anderson was drafted to the playing eleven at the expense of West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite. Anderson had a very little part to play in the match. He came in to bat towards the fag end of the Delhi Daredevils innings in the 16th over. He remained unbeaten on 2 at the end of the innings. With the ball, he bowled one over to end up giving 10 runs without getting a wicket. He surely will be looking forward to the next match that he plays for the Delhi Daredevils.

Chris Morris – 9/10

Chris Morris was absolutely phenomenal with the bat and the ball on the day. While Sanju Samson laid the foundation stone for the Delhi Daredevils innings, it was Chris Morris who helped them end on a high. He came in to bat in the penultimate over when only 10 balls were remaining. He played 9 off those deliveries to finish on a high. He hit as many as 38 runs in just 9 balls.

He smashed 4 fours and 3 sixes in his superlative knock. Morris batted with a strike rate of 422.22. With the ball, he bowled 2 overs and gave away 19 runs. He picked up the wicket of Rahul Tripathi who looked threatening as he had hit 10 off just 5 balls.

Karun Nair – 2/10

Karun Nair did not get his share of batting on the day. He was demoted in the order as the situation demanded so. The likes of Corey Anderson and Chris Morris were promoted ahead of him considering their ability to clear the fences in the death overs. In the field, he was quite good though. He took a safe catch of key player MS Dhoni in the deep midwicket region. Later, he claimed another catch in the slip region but the third umpire ruled it as a grounded take.

Pat Cummins – 6/10

Australian speedster Pat Cummins continued to be impressive with the ball. He bowled 3.1 overs on the day and returned with figures of 2/24. Cummins constantly bowled with pace and aggression. He kept touching the 150 kmph mark on a constant basis in the innings with the new cherry. He dismissed the big fish Ben Stokes as the all-rounder ended up inside edging a quick delivery fired wide at him. Later, he dismissed Ashoke Dinda, the last wicket of the game. He wrapped up the things for his side as Delhi Daredevils won by 97 runs.

Amit Mishra – 9/10

Amit Mishra returned with figures of 3/11 on the day. He was clearly the pick of the bowlers for the Delhi Daredevils in the match. He bowled with a miserly economy of just 3.67. He got the big fish first up when he dismissed MS Dhoni on 11. Dhoni perished in his attempt to clear Amit Mishra over the midwicket fence. But the perfect length of Mishra saw Dhoni not hitting the ball properly and managing to pocket it in the hands of Karun Nair.

In his next over, he got the wicket of Rajat Bhatia. A tossed up delivery enforced Bhatia to go for big one. He ended up going straight in the hands of the long on. He was on a hat-trick but missed out on taking his 4th hat-trick in the tournament. Lastly, he capped off a perfect day by dismissing Adam Zampa on 5 in the 16th over.

In his next over, he got the wicket of Rajat Bhatia. A tossed up delivery enforced Bhatia to go for big one. He ended up going straight in the hands of the long on. He was on a hat-trick but missed out on taking his 4th hat-trick in the tournament. Lastly, he capped off a perfect day by dismissing Adam Zampa on 5 in the 16th over.

Shahbaz Nadeem – 7/10

Veteran spinner Shahbaz Nadeem played a decent role in the match. He bowled very economically in the matches. He bowled with an economy as low as 5.75. He gave runs at run rate less than 6 runs an over. He bowled 4 overs on the day and ended up with 23 runs given to the opposition. He got the solitary wicket of Faf du Plessis. But that was a big fish. He bowled well with the new ball in the match. His economical spell in the powerplay choked the run flow early on in the innings and that created pressure on the opposition batsmen.

Zaheer Khan – 8/10

Zaheer Khan was spot on with his bowling on the day. He led the team from the front and was the pick of the fast bowlers on the day. He bowled 3 overs and gave away just 20 runs to return with his 3 wickets. He provided the early breakthroughs by getting rid of both the openers on the day. He first managed to get the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane on 9. Soon, he got the wicket of the other opener as well – Mayank Agarwal. Lastly, he got the wicket of Deepak Chahar to complete his triple for the day. He was very impressive with his captaincy too.