IPL 2018, Match 21, RR vs MI - Rajasthan Royals Player Ratings

The Rajasthan Royals finally ended their poor string of games this season. They registered an unlikely win of sorts against the Mumbai Indians. They were in command of the game, managed to lose the plot big time, but then sealed the ultimate glory riding on the K Gowtham heroics. Gowtham slammed an unbeaten 33 off just 11 deliveries to complete a remarkable run chase.

Coming in the game, both sides were desperate for the win. The Mumbai Indians batted first after winning the toss. Suryakumar Yadav (72) and Ishan Kishan (58) did the bulk of the scoring for the visitors before the Royals bowlers got back in the game. Debutante Jofra Archer dented the MI innings with his triple strike in the penultimate over. Despite a great start, the MI innings slumped from 130/1 to 159/7.

They eventually finished with 168 runs on the board. In the run chase, the Rajasthan Royals lost their openers cheaply. Sanju Samson scored a fifty and was well supported by Ben Stokes, who scored a timely 40. However, the middle order implosion saw the hosts in dire straits in the run chase. Ultimately, K Gowtham kept his calm to steer his side over the line with 3 wickets in hand.

Here are the Rajasthan Royals player ratings for the match:

Rahul Tripathi – 1/10

Rahul Tripathi finally got to the position where he ideally belongs to. He opened the innings with Ajinkya Rahane and had a decent start. He started off the proceedings with a boundary but fell soon after with just 9 runs under his name.

Ajinkya Rahane – 3/10

Ajinkya Rahane had a rare failure with the bat on the day. He could only muster 14 runs in the 17 balls that he faced. However, with the captaincy hat on, Rahane was excellent with his field placing and the bowling changes.

Sanju Samson – 8/10

Sanju Samson had failed to perform in the previous two games and that had hurt his side big time. Samson came back to form in this game and scored a crucial 52 off 39 deliveries with four boundaries to his name. He pretty much anchored the run chase but would have loved it even more had he finished the game for his side.

Ben Stokes – 7/10

Ben Stokes seems to be getting in to his groove slowly as the tournament is progressing. Batting with Sanju Samson, Stokes steadied the shaky ship of the Rajasthan Royals. He scored 40 off 27 deliveries with three fours and a six to his name. With the ball, he was expensive on the day, giving away 31 runs in the three overs that he bowled.

Jos Buttler – 1/10

Jos Buttler needs to up his game in the tournament. His string of low scores is not helping the cause of the team. Buttler came at a crucial juncture in the game but departed with a score of just 6. The team certainly needs more from him.

Heinrich Klaasen – 1/10

Heinrich Klaasen bagged a golden duck in the match. Much like Buttler, even Klaasen had the opportunity to do something extraordinary for his team but ended up succumbing to the pressure on the day. He will hope for better stay at the crease in the coming games.

Jofra Archer – 9/10

There had been some serious buzz around Jofra Archer in the competition. The Windies-born cricketer finally made his IPL debut and announced his arrival in fine fashion. He hurled a series of yorkers in the death overs to show some serious skills. He also dished out a 149kmph delivery in the over. He bagged three wickets in the penultimate over of the MI innings to derail them big time. With the bat, he could have stayed till the end but was dismissed in the final over.

K Gowtham – 9.5/10

K Gowtham proved to be the hero for his team on the day. He did not hit a blazing fifty or score a thundering ton. But his unbeaten 33 off 11 deliveries showed why he was one of the most tracked cricketers in the IPL auctions this year. He remained calm and composed to finish off the game for his team on the day.

Shreyas Gopal – 3/10

Shreyas Gopal had been one of the positives for the Rajasthan Royals in the season thus far. However, in this particular game, he had an off day. He bowled only two overs in the match and ended up giving away 30 runs.

Jaydev Unadkat – 7.5/10

Jaydev Unadkat had been in the firing zone of the critics for being all over the place this season. In this game, Unadkat bowled good lines and kept things tight for his side. He also dismissed Suryakumar Yadav at a time when Yadav was threatening to take the game away from the reach of the Rajasthan Royals. Unadkat returned with numbers of 1/31 in his four overs.

Dhawal Kulkarni – 8/10

Dhawal Kulkarni bowled an exceptional spell up front with the new ball. He accounted for the wickets of Evin Lewis and Ishan Kishan. He had dismissed Lewis in the very first over of the match. In the four overs that he bowled, he returned with figures of 2/32.

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