IPL 2018, Match 8, RCB vs KXIP - Royal Challengers Bangalore Player Ratings

The Royal Challengers Bangalore finally ended their losing streak at their home venue in Bengaluru. They had lost their previous five games played in the city. And in the very first home game of 2018 edition, RCB beat the Kings XI Punjab in a nervous encounter to end the streak. It was a low scoring game, from the Chinnaswamy standards, but a thoroughly entertaining one. The hosts restricted the opposition to just 155 after putting them in to bat first.

It was a triple strike from Umesh Yadav that predominantly sealed the fate of the game for the hosts early in the game. The Kings had got off to a flying start but the triple dent proved to be too big to recover from. KL Rahul and Karun Nair tried to rebuild the KXIP innings but that did not last for than 58 runs. The partnership was broken and the innings crashed yet again.

The KXIP lineup bundled out for 155 in 19.2 overs. In response, Royal Challengers Bangalore did not have a great start either. They lost Brendon McCullum and Virat Kohli early on in the innings. But the South African duo of Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers kept them in the hunt. ABD, in particular, was the game changer with his couple of sixes in the 17th over of the game. Despite frequent jitters, RCB held their nerves to cross the line with four wickets in hand.

Here are the Player Ratings for the match:

Brendon McCullum – 1/10

Brendon McCullum had a very short stay at the crease on the day. He lasted just one delivery and bagged a golden duck on the day. McCullum, who had a decent time in the previous game, perished to an Axar Patel delivery in the match.

Quinton de Kock – 7.5/10

Quinton de Kock played a very sensible knock on the day. The South African cricketer scored a crucial 45 off just 34 deliveries. His knock was studded with 7 sixes and a four. De Kock anchored the inning for the first half of the chase. He let AB de Villier settle down at the other end.

Virat Kohli – 3/10

The RCB skipper had an off day at work on the day. He arrived at the crease in the very first over and had the ideal stage set for himself to anchor the run chase. Kohli got off to a decent start scoring 21 off 16 deliveries with four boundaries before being undone by rookie spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman.

AB de Villiers – 8.5/10

AB de Villiers was the main man for Royal Challengers Bangalore on the day. He started off cautiously, playing in the shadows of Quinton de Kock. He soon picked up pace and then targeted Mujeeb Rahman in the important 17th over and hit two big sixes. He perished in the next over. But he had done his job. He scored 57 off just 40 deliveries with a couple of boundaries to go with four sixes.

Sarfaraz Khan – 1/10

Sarfaraz Khan was promoted ahead of Mandeep Singh in the match. The youngster had a very good opportunity to make a name for himself. However, he ended up giving catch practice to the slip fielder on the very first ball that he faced on the day. He was good in the field though. He missed a tough chance but later held on to two catches.

Mandeep Singh – 5/10

The RCB innings seemed to crash when two wickets fell in the R Ashwin’s 12th over. Mandeep Singh arrived at the crease and played the ideal second fiddle to AB de Villiers. He would have liked it a lot more had he finished the game for his side. He was run out in the penultimate over after scoring 22 off 19 deliveries with a four to his name.

Chris Woakes  – 3/10

Chris Woakes was the most expensive bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the game. The Englishman conceded 36 runs in the 3.2 overs that he bowled. His very first over was taken away for 16 runs by KL Rahul. Much to his respite, he got two wickets in the end overs that made his figures look decent.

Washington Sundar – 9/10

Washington Sundar is used to bowling in the powerplay. However, he has not quite been given the ball in his preferred position in the IPL this season. Despite this, the youngster has been impressive. Sundar kept things tight in his quota of four overs giving away just 22 runs. Also, he accounted for the dismissal fo dangerous KL Rahul in the game. He later took the wicket of Marcus Stoinis too. Later in the game, he kept his head calm and hit a couple of boundaries in the final over of the run chase to win the game for his side.

Kulwant Khejroliya – 6/10

Kulwant Khejroliya looked like making up the numbers in the RCB bowling lineup. But the Delhi pacer had his own plans on the day. After being a little expensive early on, Khejroliya came back strong to return with numbers of 2/33. He took the key wicket of Karun Nair, in addition to the wicket of Axar Patel.

Umesh Yadav – 9.5/10

Umesh Yadav was the star of the show for the RCB camp. The KXIP openers had a brilliant start to the innings and looked threatening. However, Umesh’s second over stalled the innings. He returned with three wickets in the over and that included the big strikes – Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, and Yuvraj Singh. He returned with figures of 3/23 in his quota of four overs.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 4/10

Yuzvendra Chahal had a tough time with the ball on the day. He entered the contest as one of the more successful Royal Challengers Bangalore players at Bengaluru. He, however, ended up conceding 38 runs in his quota of four overs. He finished on a high by dismissing Ravichandran Ashwin on the day.

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