IPL 2019: Match 17, RCB vs KKR – Kolkata Knight Riders Player Ratings

The fans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru witnessed an absolute run fest when the Royal Challengers Bangalore hosted the Kolkata Knight Riders. Much to the disappointment of the home fans though, it was the visiting side that pulled out a miraculous turnaround win. Andre Russell unleashed the beast mode yet again and proved why he is revered as the best hitter of the cricket ball in the modern day game. KKR’s turnaround win ensured that the RCB were handed their fifth defeat of the season. They remain winless.

In the match, KKR won the toss and opted to field. The track proved to be a belter and RCB were off to a flying start. Skipper Virat Kohli led from the front and took the charge in the power play. He was joined by AB de Villiers and the two big names played for the major part in the innings. Adding 108 for the second wicket, the duo put the hosts in a commanding position. The two batters hit the fifties but untimely dismissal of both the players in the death overs hurt RCB. Owing to Marcus Stoinis’ last over heroics, RCB finished with 205/3 in their 20 overs.

In the run chase, Sunil Narine was dismissed early. Later, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, and Nitish Rana carried the baton forward. But with almost 64 runs to get in 22 balls, everyone fancied the home side to cruise through. The big Jamaican, Andre Russell, had other plans though. Russell’s monstrous hitting saw KKR win the match with 5 balls to spare. Russell remained unbeaten on 48 as the visitors eased home with 5 wickets in hand.

Here are the KKR Player Ratings for the match:

Chris Lynn – 8/10

Chris Lynn has not been in the best of forms this season. He has got starts but has failed to convert them to big scores. In this match, Lynn showed more composure to play a crucial role in the run chase. Lynn looked good for his 43 that came off 31 deliveries. He hit a couple of sixes and 4 fours during his stay at the crease. He got out trying to attack the left arm spinner Pawan Negi, who managed to turn the ball square to deceive Lynn.

Sunil Narine – 6/10

With a target as daunting as 205, KKR needed Sunil Narine to fire first up. The Caribbean star is renowned for doing this, but he failed to live up to the expectations in this match. He perished after adding just 10 runs to his name. Earlier in the match, he bowled a decent spell of four overs, conceding 30 runs. He picked up the big wicket of AB de Villiers in the death overs. The wicket certainly to be very costly for RCB who expected ABD to go all guns blazing at that stage of the match.

Robin Uthappa – 7/10

Robin Uthappa has been one of the consistent performers for the Knight Riders in this season thus far. Robbie continued his good form and scored some crucial runs in the middle overs. He added 65 runs for the second wicket with Chris Lynn. While Lynn showed brute force at one end, Robin enchanted his ‘home’ fans with nonchalant shots. He scored 33 off 25 balls with 6 fours to his name.

Nitish Rana – 7/10

Nitish Rana arrived at the crease in the 10th over of the match. He ensured that the tempo of the run chase was not impacted. When the pressure mounted, he took the responsibility to accelerate. He took the attack to Pawan Negi, the in-form bowler. Rana perished after scoring 37 off just 23 balls with one four and 2 sixes to his name.

Dinesh Karthik – 6/10

Dinesh Karthik did not have a comfortable stay at the crease. He came in to bat at a stage that was tailor-made for him to flourish. He could have enhanced his reputation had he wrapped this game up with Andre Russell at the other end. But Karthik struggled for his 15-ball 19. He hit Navdeep Saini for a four and a six in the 17th over before getting caught in the deep.

Andre Russell – 9.5/10

If there is a player who could have made this run chase possible, then it has to be Andre Russell. Russell absolutely smoked almost every delivery that came his way. He clubbed Mohammad Siraj for a maximum off a no-ball in the 18th over. Stoinis completed the over for Siraj, and Russell smashed a couple of sixes off Stoinis’ bowling too. Things went from bad to worse in the penultimate over when Russell hammered Tim Southee for 29 runs. Russell remained unbeaten on 48 off just 13 balls with a four and 7 sixes to his name!

Shubman Gill – 6/10

Shubman Gill had the best seat in the house today. When he arrived at the crease, Dre Russ was going all guns blazing. All Gill had to do was to give the strike back to the Big Jamaican. He did that to perfection and was happy to play the second fiddle in the last two overs.

Piyush Chawla – 6/10

It was not a good day for the bowlers in Bengaluru. Piyush Chawla managed to run through his overs on the day but failed to pick up any wicket. As he has been doing in this season, he was again asked to bowl in the power play. He did a fair job and conceded 32 runs off the four overs that he bowled.

Kuldeep Yadav – 7/10

The KKR bowlers did not have a great time as Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers looked set at the crease. Amidst this time of crisis, Kuldeep’s overs turned out to be pure gold for the KKR skipper. Kuldeep not only managed to keep the run flow down, but also managed to dismiss Virat Kohli, who was batting phenomenally well on 84. Kuldeep finished with 1/31 in his quota of four overs.

Lockie Ferguson – 2/10

The biggest takeaway from the match was not to bowl pace. Take pace off the ball, and you would somehow manage to keep things tight. Lockie Ferguson failed to comprehend this and was very expensive. He was taken away for 32 runs in the two overs that he bowled in the match. This was certainly not a great day for the Kiwis in Bengaluru.

Prasidh Krishna – 3/10

Prasidh Krishna looks like a very fine pace bowling prospect. He had a very good run in this match until the final over of the RCB innings. In the final over, his figures took a heavy toll with Marcus Stoinis finding his groove with the bat. Prasidh finished with 41 runs conceded from his 3 overs. He failed to pick up any wicket in the match.

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