IPL 2018, Match 12, KXIP vs CSK - Kings XI Punjab Player Ratings

The Chennai Super Kings are taking the matches to the final delivery this season. After winning two very thrilling games this season, they finally ran out of luck in Mohali. Chasing a total of 197 against the hosts, Kings XI Punjab, the CSK camp fell short by just 4 runs on the day. The CSK skipper MS Dhoni almost got his side over the line in the match with his unbeaten fifty.

Earlier in the game, it was MS Dhoni who had won the toss and elected to field first. The move looked like a terrible one with the KXIP openers adding 96 runs for the first wicket. Chris Gayle, who played his first game of the season, scored a blitzkrieg 63 off just 33 deliveries. Meanwhile, KL Rahul scored 37 off 22 balls. Their heroics, combined with cameos from the middle order, helped KXIP post 197 on the board.

In the run chase, the Chennai Super Kings openers failed to get going. Ambati Rayudu, who came in at number 3 on the day, played a handy knock of 49 before MS Dhoni took the center stage. Dhoni scored an unbeaten 79 off 44 deliveries with 6 fours and five sixes to take the game down to the wire. He was unfortunate to have fallen short and the Kings registered a narrow four run win.

Here are the Kings XI Punjab player ratings for the match:

KL Rahul – 8/10

KL Rahul has arguably been the best batsman for KXIP in the season. Rahul, who hit the fastest fifty of the IPL earlier this season, continued his good form in the game. He added 96 runs for the first wicket with Chris Gayle. He ended up scoring 37 off 22 balls with 7 fours to his name.

Chris Gayle – 9/10

Chris Gayle was the star of the show for the Kings XI Punjab in the match. Gayle played his first match of the season and smacked a fifty in his maiden appearance for the franchise. He scored 63 off just 33 balls with 7 fours and four mammoth sixes. He gave a flying start to KXIP in the match.

Mayank Agarwal – 7/10

Mayank Agarwal has been in a scintillating form this season. He has started translating his good domestic form to the IPL form as well. The Karnataka lad scored a quick 30 off just 19 balls with a couple of sixes and a four to his name.

Yuvraj Singh – 6/10

Yuvraj Singh arrived at the crease at a very crucial juncture in the game. He was expected to take the game forward from where Gayle and Rahul had paused it. Yuvraj got a decent start, scoring 20 off 13, but failed to convert it to a big one. Later, he bowled a solitary over that yielded 10 runs for the opposition.

Aaron Finch – 1/10

Aaron Finch had yet another horrible time in the tournament today. Finch, who played his first game of the season in the last match, had bagged a golden duck back then. And today, he bagged a golden duck yet again. He certainly would be feeling terrible.

Karun Nair – 7/10

Karun Nair, along with KL Rahul, has been among the top players in form for the Kings this season. He continued his good form in this game as well. Nair scored  29 off 17 deliveries in the end overs to help his side inch closer to the 200-mark.

Andrew Tye – 6/10

Andrew Tye had a decent time in the game. Barring his final over where he was taken to the cleaners by MS Dhoni, Tye managed to bowl well. His final numbers saw him conceded 47 runs in four overs. But he managed to take the wickets of Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja.

Ravichandran Ashwin – 7.5/10

The Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin was very impressive with his captaincy on the day. He got a review right off his own bowling that saw Sam Billings head back to the pavilion. He finished with 1/32 in the four overs that he bowled. Earlier, he also scored 14 runs with the bat.

Barinder Sran – 4/10

Barinder Sran played his first game of the season and the youngster did not have a very good start this year. He conceded 37 runs in his quota of four overs. Also, he failed to pick up any wicket on the day. Sran would hope to come up with better performances in the matches to follow.

Mohit Sharma – 7/10

Mohit Sharma was having a bad day at the office. He was taken away for a lot of runs. However, he clicked at the moment when things mattered the most. Mohit bowled the final over to MS Dhoni and he had 17 runs to defend. He managed to defend the number and helped Kings XI Punjab win the game. He returned with figures of 1/47 in four overs.

Mujeeb ur Rahman – 8/10

The track at Mohali looked like an absolute belter. This was evident from the fact that the batsmen scored runs at will in the game. On such a track, young Mujeeb ur Rahman managed to keep things tight for his side. He conceded just 18 runs in the three overs that he bowled. Even MS Dhoni failed to pick him at times.

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