IPL 2018, Match 1, MI vs CSK - Chennai Super Kings Player Ratings

Defending champions Mumbai Indians had the case of being so close yet being so far in the season opener of the IPL 2018. Tagged as the late bloomers of the tournament, the MI camp hoped to get things sorted early on in the season. And much to their disappointment, they lost against the Chennai Super Kings in the season opener. It was a marquee clash on the cards for the fans.

All eyes were on the returning franchise, the Chennai Super Kings. After restricting the Mumbai side to just 165 on a batting track, the CSK camp messed it up big time in the run chase. They were down and out of the chase before Dwayne Bravo arrived at the crease to change the script of the match. Bravo’s brilliant 68 off 30 deliveries combined with last over heroics of Kedar Jadhav earned a 1 wicket win for CSK in a thrilling encounter.

Coming to the game, CSK had won the toss and opted to bowl first. The MI openers, Rohit Sharma and Evin Lewis, fell cheaply in the game. Ishan Kishan (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (43) steadied the ship before Krunal Pandya provided the final flourish with his 22-ball 41. Mumbai Indians finished with 165/4 in 20 overs.

In the run chase, Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson provided a brisk start to the CSK camp. But the young leggie, Mayank Markande, had other plans. He chipped in with crucial wickets in the middle overs to stall the run chase. Chennai Super Kings got back in the run chase with Bravo showing resilience at the crease. His counter attack sealed the game for the Super Kings.

Here are the Chennai Super Kings Player Ratings for the match:

Shane Watson – 7/10

Shane Watson arrived in to the tournament riding on fine form from his PSL stint. Watson looked good with the bat as he hit a four and a six first up during his knock of 16 on the day. He failed to get going thereafter and was dismissed by Hardik Pandya. Earlier in the game, he had opened the bowling for CSK and had returned with figures of 2/29 in his four overs. He bagged the key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav on the night.

Ambati Rayudu – 5/10

Ambati Rayudu had a short stay at the crease. He opened the innings with Shane Watson in the match. He scored 22 off 19 deliveries in the game. His cameo was laced with four beautifully carved boundaries. He could not convert his start to a big score and would want to improve on that.

Suresh Raina -2/10

Suresh Raina has been an impact player for Chennai Super Kings over the years. However, Raina did not have a merry time in the season opener of IPL 2018. He could only score 4 in the match and was dismissed by Hardik Pandya. His attempt to slog ended up being a mistimed hit straight in to the hands of the mid on fielder.

Kedar Jadhav – 8/10

Kedar Jadhav arrived at the crease in a tricky situation. Soon, a hamstring pull forced him to walk off the ground. When he came back to bat again, Chennai needed 7 off the last over with a wicket in hand. He took three deliveries trying to nudge the ball around before scooping a six over fine leg to seal the fate of the game. A boundary followed and CSK won by 1 wicket. He remained unbeaten on 24 off 22 deliveries.

MS Dhoni – 2/10

The CSK skipper MS Dhoni had a rough day in office. His wicket keeping looked fine with no major blemishes on display. Also, his captaincy was decent in the match. However, with the bat, he failed to contribute. He was trapped lbw by Mayank Markande on 5 in the match.

Dwayne Bravo – 10/10

It is rare to see a player get perfect ratings for a match but Dwayne Bravo certainly deserves it. Everyone had ruled CSK out of the game before Bravo took the game away from Mumbai Indians out of nowhere. He smashed a quick 68 off 30 balls with 7 sixes and 3 boundaries to put CSK in the commanding position. He was unfortunate to have not finished the game for his side.

Ravindra Jadeja – 2/10

Ravindra Jadeja did not have a very good outing in the season opener. With the ball, he got only one over to bowl in the match, in which he gave away 9 runs. Later, he was promoted ahead of Bravo in the batting order. But Jadeja failed to impress and could only muster 12 runs in 13 balls.

Deepak Chahar – 6/10

Deepak Chahar opened the bowling for Chennai Super Kings in the match. He bowled with superb precision. The purchase he got from the wicket was unmatched. He dismissed Evin Lewis for a duck in the match. In the three overs that he bowled on the day, he returned with figures of 1/14. With the bat, he got a golden duck.

Harbhajan Singh – 5/10

Harbhajan Singh had a very good opportunity to reinstate his position in the batting order in the game. With the batsmen failing to get runs, a quick cameo from Harbhajan would have sealed his spot in the side. But he could only score 8 with the bat. Earlier in the game, he gave away 14 runs in the two overs that he bowled.

Mark Wood – 2/10

English speedster Mark Wood came in to the IPL riding on some good reputation in the limited overs cricket. Wood, however, had a very off day with the ball. He was taken away for aplenty by the Mumbai Indians batsmen. Krunal Pandya, in particular, took special liking to his bowling. He gave away 49 runs in his quota of four overs.

Imran Tahir – 2/10

Imran Tahir was welcomed at the crease with 14 runs off the first three balls that he bowled on the day. Ishan Kishan took charge against the veteran leggie. But Tahir had the last laugh as he dismissed Kishan soon after. Imran bowled just two overs in the match and returned with figures of 1/23 on the day.

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