IPL 2018, Match 53, RR vs RCB - Rajasthan Royals Player Ratings

The Rajasthan Royals managed to punch above their weight in the Royal derby against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur. Coming in to the game, the stage was set for a must win encounter for both the sides. And as the end result sees, the Royals prevailed with 30 runs in their favor. The RCB camp got it horribly wrong in the run chase and failed to get past the target of 164.

Earlier in the game, the Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bat first. They played exceptionally well considering the fact that they were sans the services of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. After losing Jofra Archer early in the innings, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi added 99 runs to keep the innings going. Tripathi top scored for his side with an unbeaten 80 to his name.

Handy cameos from Heinrich Klaasen and K Gowtham steered RR to 164/5 in 20 overs. In the run chase, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had a phenomenal start after losing Virat Kohli early. However, once the wicket of AB de Villiers fell, they failed to get the act together. Shreyas Gopal ran through the RCB middle order with figures of 4/16 in his four overs. RCB eventually bundled out for 134 to lose by 30 runs.

Here are the Rajasthan Royals player ratings for the match:

Rahul Tripathi – 9/10

Rahul Tripathi was the best batsman for the Rajasthan Royals in the match. His innings kept the flow intact for the hosts. Tripathi has always preferred to open and when the opportunity beckoned in the game, he scored his best of the season. Tripathi scored an unbeaten 80 off just 58 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes to his name.

Jofra Archer – 2/10

Jofra Archer had a horrible run in the game. He got a chance to open the innings and failed big time as he bagged his third duck of the season. With the ball, he did not look at his fluent best either and was hit by two sixes in his very first over. On the field, he had a couple of blips as well.

Ajinkya Rahane – 6/10

Ajinkya Rahane had a decent game with the bat. He arrived at the crease in the powerplay and was expected to steady the ship for his side. He played the ideal second fiddle to Rahul Tripathi as they stitched a 99 run stand. Rahane scored 33 off 31 deliveries with three fours to his name.

Sanju Samson – 1/10

Sanju Samson had a very bad day at the office. He arrived at the crease at a stage when the team needed some serious final flourish. Samson, who was expected to play a big role in the game, ended up getting dismissed for a golden duck.

Heinrich Klaasen – 9/10

Heinrich Klaasen was drafted in to the playing eleven as the wicket keeper in the side. He had a brilliant outing with the gloves. He took a blinder of a catch to dismiss Sarfaraz Khan. He inflicted three very good stumpings as well. Earlier in the game, he had chipped in with a very handy cameo of 32 off 21 balls with three fours and a six.

K Gowtham – 9/10

K Gowtham has been one of the best performers for the Royals in the season. He continued his good show in the game as well. He hit a couple of sixes in the final over of the Rajasthan Royals innings. With the ball, he took the all important wicket of Virat Kohli early in the run chase. Gowtham returned with figures of 1/6 in the two overs that he bowled in the powerplay.

Shreyas Gopal – 9.5/10

Shreyas Gopal proved to be the game changer in the match. He was the main man for the Royals in the second innings. He ran through the RCB middle order and returned with exceptional figures of 4/16 in his quota of four overs. He accounted for the wickets of Parthiv Patel, AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, and Mandeep Singh.

Stuart Binny – Not Assigned

Stuart Binny did not have a big role to play in the game. He did not get a chance to bat in the match. Later in the game, he was not even tried with the ball in hand.

Ish Sodhi – 6.5/10

Ish Sodhi had a decent outing in the game. He returned with figures of 1/31 in the four overs that he bowled. While Shreyas Gopal picked wickets from one end, Sodhi kept the pressure from the other end. Sodhi got the wicket of his fellow New Zealand cricketer Colin de Grandhomme.

Jaydev Unadkat – 7.5/10

Jaydev Unadkat has been under the scrutiny for having underperformed this season. Unadkat, however, seems to clicking just at the right time. Unadkat returned with figures of 2/27 in the 3.2 overs that he bowled. Unadkat took two wickets towards the end of the RCB innings. He bagged the wickets of Tim Southee and Mohammad Siraj.

Ben Laughlin – 8/10

Ben Laughlin made a comeback to the side for the Rajasthan Royals at the place of Ben Stokes. The Australian speedster got only two overs to bowl but he looked very impressive. He gave away 15 runs and bagged two wickets on two successive balls. He dismissed Sarfaraz Khan and Umesh Yadav in the match.

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