IPL 2017, Match 14 KKR v SRH: CT Player of the Match – Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa gets a 4/5 rating for a neat 39-ball 68 which was instrumental in KKR's 17-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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Robin Uthappa
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Robin Uthappa. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Robin Uthappa’s 68 against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad laid the foundation for a 17-run victory for KKR at Eden Gardens. Batting at No. 3 this season, Uthappa looked in fine form as he hit 4 sixes and 5 fours in his 39-ball stay at the crease. KKR now are at the top of the table with 3 wins in 4 games. They have started the season strongly and will want to carry the momentum forward in order to secure a spot in the top 4 as quickly as possible.

Due to Robin Uthappa’s glorious innings, KKR were able to reach a par total of 172 which was a little too much for the Sunrisers to chase. Barring from the first ball he faced, when he edged Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the keeper but the umpire did not give it out, Uthappa looked in total control. He was involved in a 77-run partnership with Manish Pandey for the 3rd wicket which helped KKR gather momentum for the final assault.

Attacking Rashid Khan early

The 18-year old Rashid Khan might have given nightmares to a few batsmen this season so far but Uthappa had placed his plans for the rookie. He attacked him straight away with a six – a slap over long-on – on the second ball he bowled. This was a big moment in the game because Rashid has been so good in the tournament especially against the right-handers in the bowling power play. From there on he went on about his business without any fuss and struck the ball sweetly.

KKR were off to a sedated start scoring just 40 in the first 6 overs and already two batsmen were back in the dug-out. Uthappa, after finding his rhythm, injected momentum into the innings when he struck a six off Henriques over mid-wicket. He hit two more sixes in the next 6 balls he faced to get KKR on track for a big total. Henriques, the fifth bowler for Sunrisers was targeted smartly by Uthappa as the former went for 26 runs in his 2 overs.

In a desperate attempt to get a wicket, Warner brought Rashid back in the attack. Uthappa responded by a sweep, which went through Dhawan for a boundary, to bring up his first fifty of the season off just 27 balls.

Warner turned to his experienced bowler Nehra the next over and even he wasn’t spared. Uthappa struck back to back boundaries to demoralize Sunrisers leaving Warner out of options.

The 31-year old, who formed a formidable opening stand with Gambhir in the last 3 years, is batting at No. 3 this season and showed his versatility score runs in an unfamiliar territory. He might be seen opening later in the tournament but the team man that he is, Uthappa has no problems in batting at any number.

In quest of getting as many as possible in the final 6 overs, Uthappa finally fell in the 15th over to Ben Cutting. It was a quality display of batting by the Karnataka-lad which ultimately was the difference between both sides.

Robin Uthappa is the CT Player of the Match for his match-winning innings and gets a rating of 4 out of 5 for his performance.

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