IPL 2019: Match 18, CSK vs KXIP – CSK Player Ratings

The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai was lit up by the knocks of Faf du Plessis and MS Dhoni when CSK faced KXIP in Match 18 of IPL 2019. In his first outing this year, the South African skipper scored a half-century. However, Ravichandran Ashwin applied breaks in between dismissing him as well as Suresh Raina of consecutive deliveries.

The Chennai franchise seemed to be struggling at that stage. They were at 110 at the end of 16 overs. But, MS Dhoni, the favourite son of the soil, rose up to the occasion for his team. Along with Ambati Rayudu, he built up a good partnership and remained unbeaten on 37 off 23 balls. This knock helped CSK finish with a score of 160/3 at the end of 20 overs.

The chase went down right till the end. KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan both scored fifties and kept the visitors interested. The CSK spinners, though, did a fabulous job and kept things tight in the middle overs. The pacers, Scott Kuggleijn and Deepak Chahar did well at the end to get the team over the line quite comfortably. With this win, CSK went right up to the top of the points table.

Here are the CSK Player Ratings for the match:

Shane Watson – 3/10

Shane Watson started off well for his team. In testing conditions, he was expected to play a long and good inning. However, the Australian failed to deliver after having got to a good start. Watson only scored 26 off 24 balls and had nothing much to do on the field.

Faf du Plessis – 8.5/10

Playing his first game of the season, Faf du Plessis did really well. Playing on a slow pitch in Chennai, it was important to score runs against the new ball. The batting got tougher as the innings progresses and Faf did the job for his team. He didn’t take much time to settle in and looked to attack the bowlers. He scored 54 off 38 balls and smashed four sixes. With this knock, he might have sealed his spot in the eleven.

Suresh Raina – 2.5/10

Suresh Raina is either playing too aggressive or too defensive in this tournament. Being the senior player in the side, he was expected to shoulder a lot of responsibility. However, the left-hander ended up disappointing. He was looking good but played a questionable shot right off the next ball after Faf du Plessis got out.

MS Dhoni – 9/10

It wasn’t easy batting towards the end of the innings. The pitch was holding up and the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat. The KXIP innings shows you how difficult it was batting in the latter half of the innings. But MS Dhoni used all his experience. He exactly knew the bowlers he had to target and picked his spots beautifully. He gets additional points for his captaincy as he backed his five bowlers and used them brilliantly.

Ambati Rayudu – 7.5/10

After he failed at the top of the order, Ambati Rayudu was sent in to bat at number five in this game. He isn’t unfamiliar with this position as he batted at five for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Rayudu ran brilliantly in between the wickets and assisted MS Dhoni well with an unbeaten 15-ball 21.

Kedar Jadhav – Not assigned

Kedar Jadhav had nothing to do with the bat or the ball or in the field. Hence, he isn’t assigned a rating.

Ravindra Jadeja – 6.5/10

Ravindra Jadeja did a good job with the ball. He didn’t pick up any wicket but kept things tight and did not bowl any loose ball. The southpaw gave away 24 runs in his four overs which was exactly what was expected of him.

Deepak Chahar – 5.5/10

For the first time in a while, Deepak Chahar was handed over the duties of bowling at the death. Apparently, he worked a lot on his variations in the last two days and it somewhat paid off. In his first three overs that he bowled in the powerplay, Chahar gave away 27 runs. He came back to bowl the 19th over and bowled to back-to-back no-balls. However, he pulled things back really well for his team and finished the over on a decent note.

Scott Kuggeleijn – 8/10

Scott Kuggeleijn gave away 27 runs in his first two overs. But the way he came back and bowled at the death was exemplary. Playing in unfamiliar conditions, he adjusted real quick and just conceded 10 runs in his last two overs. Furthermore, he picked up the crucial wickets of KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan.

Harbhajan Singh – 8.5/10

Harbhajan Singh, making a comeback into the eleven, was on the money straight away. He started off with a double wicket maiden and put the opposition under pressure straight away. Furthermore, he also finished well when he came back for his second spell. In four overs, he just conceded 17 runs.

Imran Tahir – 7/10

Imran Tahir also fulfilled a role similar to that of Jadeja. He couldn’t pick wickets but kept things tight. He bowled two overs when the batsmen were looking to go for the big shots and did well. In his four overs, Tahir gave away 20 runs.

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