Rising Pune Supergiant
Manoj Tiwary – 9
A veteran in the Indian domestic scene, Manoj Tiwary added the finishing touches to Pune’s innings with a blistering 23-ball 40. Were it not for his controlled hitting in the death overs, the team total could have been much lesser.
Ben Stokes – 9
The most expensive overseas player in IPL history, Stokes could have plenty to live up to. The hard-hitting southpaw imposed himself on the proceedings with a half-century from 32 balls. Some of his shots defied belief and reiterated his brute force. However, he could not extend his batting heroics to the bowling department as evidenced by four lacklustre overs.
Imran Tahir – 8.5
The attacking wrist-spinner had his fair share of responsibility to help Pune defend a below-par total. Although he did chip in with two handy wickets, Punjab saw him off without further damage.
Ashok Dinda – 7
Coming into this game on the back of a horror show in Pune, Dinda had a much better outing this time around. He sent down three decent overs and managed to dismiss the explosive Manan Vohra.
Daniel Christian – 6.5
Within the space of a game, Christian traversed both extremes in the two major departments. While he scored a quick-fire 17 from 8 deliveries, the all-rounder found himself parting with 23 runs from two overs with the ball.
Rahul Chahar – 6.5
Playing his maiden T20 game, 17-year-old Chahar was not unnerved by the occasion. The leg-spinner claimed the wicket of a man who knew a thing or two about negotiating slow bowlers. Hashim Amla failed to account for the youngster’s smart change in pace and picked out the long-off fielder.
Ajinkya Rahane – 6
Showing discernible urgency at the top of the order, Rahane got off to another breezy start. When it looked like he was going to make Punjab pay for dropping him, the right-hander chased a wide delivery and sliced it straight to the fielder manning the cover boundary.
Steven Smith – 5
After compiling a stunning knock against Mumbai Indians in Pune, Smith struggled to find his rhythm against a much more canny bowling attack. A strike-rate of less than 100 proved to be detrimental to his team’s cause during the first half of their innings.
Rajat Bhatia – 4.5
Possessing an assortment of slower deliveries in his arsenal, Bhatia did not make any impact in this game. From two overs, the medium pacer ceded 20 runs as the batsmen were at ease with his variations.
MS Dhoni – 3
The 35-year-old was not his usual self on a surface ideal for his style of batting. The seasoned campaigner grappled badly for form and could only labour to an 11-ball 5 before lobbing a simple return catch.
Mayank Agarwal – 2.5
Not equipped to handle Sandeep Sharma's extravagant swing, Agarwal perished within the first over itself for a four-ball duck. The manner of his dismissal should worry the team management regarding the vital second opener slot.
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