IPL 2018, Match 3, KKR vs RCB - Kolkata Knight Riders Player Ratings

The Kolkata Knight Riders proved to be just about good enough for the visiting Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens. It was the third game of the season and both sides were out to give their first look this year. Both camps promised to come up with revamped setups and hence, the hype around the game was huge. As the things panned out on the day, it was the rather relatively weaker KKR camp that tamed the RCB unit in the game.

After having lost the toss, the Virat Kohli-led side was asked to bat first. They lost Quinton de Kock early but a solid 43 from Brendon McCullum kept them in the hunt. After his dismissal, Virat Kohli (31) and AB de Villiers (44) kept the scorecard moving. While Kohli was sluggish on the day, the onslaught of AB de Villiers was a treat for the fans. KKR jumped back in the game with Nitish Rana dismissing both players on two successive deliveries.

Mandeep Singh’s quick 37 off 18 took RCB total to 176/7 in 20 overs. The target looked a decent one and the quick departute of Chris Lynn in the run chase put Kolkata Knight Riders on the back foot. It was Sunil Narine’s breezy 50 off 19 that brought them back in the game. Later, Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, and Andre Russell played crucial knocks to steer KKR home. Karthik fittingly hit the winning runs and stayed unbeaten on 35 as KKR beat RCB by four wickets.

Here are the Player Ratings for the match:

Chris Lynn – 1/10

When Chris Lynn was drafted in the playing eleven, it was a big news for the fans. Such is the reputation of this Australian batsman that his presence makes the fans confident in the game. However, the Lynn showed did not take off in the game. He was dismissed on 5 by Chris Woakes early on in the innings.

Sunil Narine – 9/10

After Lynn’s quick departure, the onus was on Sunil Narine to take Kolkata Knight Riders to safety. Narine used the license of free hitting to the best possible usage on the day. He smashed a 17-ball fifty to lead the ideal comeback for his side. He finished with 50 off 19 deliveries on the day. Earlier, with the ball, he had returned with figures of 1/30 in four overs, which included the big wicket of Brendon McCullum.

Nitish Rana – 9.5/10

Nitish Rana was the star of the show for his side, albeit with the ball in hand. None would have expected this to happen. Many questioned the move to hand the ball to Rana in the 15th over of the game. He was hit for a six and then he came back with two successive wickets – AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. That certainly halted the run fest of RCB. Later in the game, he scored a crucial 34 off 25 deliveries to put KKR in a comfortable position in the run chase.

Robin Uthappa – 3/10

Robin Uthappa had a bad day at the office. After the early dismissal of Lynn, the team expected him to bat long. He was expected to play the role that Gautam Gambhir had been playing for the Knights over the years. But Uthappa could only score 13 on the day before becoming a victim of Umesh Yadav’s short delivery.

Dinesh Karthik – 8/10

Dinesh Karthik looked very impressive in his first outing as a captain. His decision to hand the ball to a part timer in the 15th over reaped rich dividends for the team. Also, he played a very sensible knock in the run chase. He remained unbeaten on 35 off 29 deliveries with four boundaries to his name. He ensured that his side was over the line on the day.

Rinku Singh – 1/10

Young Uttar Pradesh batsman Rinku Singh was promoted ahead of Andre Russell in the match. He had a very good opportunity to make a mark for himself. However, he struggled against the short stuff bowled by Chris Woakes and eventually perished to it after scoring 6.

Andre Russell – 7/10

Andre Russell played a short yet defining knock in the game. The equation looked like an evenly balanced one with four overs to spare. But a quick 15 off 11 balls from Russell put things in the favor of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Earlier in the game, he bowled two overs giving away just 10 runs.

Piyush Chawla – 5/10

Piyush Chawal bowled in the powerplay in the game. He was successful in his attempts and took a key wicket early in in the game. He accounted for the dismissal of Quinton de Kock. In the four overs that he bowled, he gave away 31 runs and fared decently for his side.

Vinay Kumar – 3/10

Vinay Kumar had a very bad day at the office despite the fact that the wickets column would suggest the opposite. The veteran bowler bowled just two overs and leaked 30 runs. He bagged two wickets in the final over of the innings and saved his figures from looking very ugly on the day.

Mitchell Johnson – 4/10

When AB de Villiers had started clobbering Mitchell Johnson, it seemed almost probable that the former would hamper the figures of the latter. But Johnson was fortunate to not see ABD for long. Johnson bowled his complete quota of four overs to return with figures of 1/30 on the day. He dismissed Sarfraz Khan in the penultimate over of the game.

Kuldeep Yadav – 2/10

Kuldeep Yadav had a very poor day at the office. Yadav bowled just three overs and was very expensive. He gave away 33 runs at an economy rate of 11. He was taken on by AB de Villiers in the match. The KKR camp would hope to see a much improved performance from him in the games to follow.

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