IPL 2017, Match 15 DD vs KXIP: CT Player of the Match – Corey Anderson

The Delhi Daredevils management felt that the Kiwi all-rounder was a necessity for the balance of the side. The Daredevils have failed to reach the finals of the tournament in any of the seasons. It would only come as a boon for Rahul Dravid’s side to have an experienced all-rounder in the team after a slight niggle to the Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Matthews.

They would have hoped that the South African all-rounder Jean-Paul Duminy would feature on the side, but the all-rounder withdrew from the tournament due to personal reasons at the last moment. Dravid was very much sure that the Kiwi Corey Anderson and the South African Chris Morris would help the balance of the side.

Corey Anderson was picked in the playing XI against Glen Maxwell’s Kings XI Punjab to bring about balance in the team. The Daredevils got off to the best of starts with both Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings blazing guns at the top of the order. Sam Billings’ dismissal saw the Kiwi batsman walk to the middle of the park. Since then, there were no U-Turns for the Daredevils.

Brilliance with the Bat:

Anderson provided the lift that was needed for the Daredevils side following their brilliant start to the innings. At 103/4 in the 13th over, it looked the team from Delhi would only post a total of 160 runs given their history in dealing with the pressure. The all-rounder was ice calm and rock solid in the death overs providing the boost that was needed to propel the Daredevil innings.

The Kiwi batsman scored a total of 39 runs in the matter of 22 deliveries blasting three boundaries and three sixes on his way to 39. His final touch to the innings was the one that the Daredevils were hoping for after Chris Morris was dismissed in the 18th over. Chris Morris is the batsman who is associated with power-hitting in the death overs for the Daredevils.

Calm and composed with the Ball:

Anderson proved his haters wrong when the all-rounder bowled three overs conceding just 23 runs picking up the wicket of the dangerous batsman David Miller. The wicket of David Miller was the turning point in the game which saw the match tilt towards the Daredevils. The all-rounder was accurate and pinpoint most of the times during his bowling spell.

The Kiwi mixed the slower balls too alongside the yorkers which made him a tad difficult to hit out of the park. The all-rounder ended the match with bowling spell of 1-23.

Performances such as these would be of genuine help for the all-rounder’s return to the New Zealand squad for the Champions Trophy, which is going to be played in the month of June later this year.

Crictracker gives him a rating of 4 stars for his fabulous all-round display.