IPL 2017, RCB vs RPS: Player Ratings

The Rising Pune Supergiants put an end to their losing streak by defeating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 27 runs to move from eighth to sixth on the table, whilst RCB went rock-bottom. The Royal Challengers had won the toss and elected to field first. Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi gave a good start to RPS, adding 63 for the first wicket before Rahane was dismissed by Samuel Badree for 30 in the eighth over which was followed by Pawan Negi dismissing Tripathi for 31 in the very next over.

Captain Steve Smith and MS Dhoni added 58 runs for the third wicket before both were dismissed in successive deliveries after scoring 27 and 28 respectively. An 11-ball cameo of 27 from Manoj Tiwary during the death overs took RPS to a challenging total of 161/8 in their 20 overs. Adam Milne and Sreenath Aravind were the pick of the RCB bowlers, picking up two wickets each, and conceding 27 and 29 from their four overs respectively.

In reply, RCB lost opener, Mandeep Singh, early but Virat Kohli was looking dangerous until he was dismissed by Ben Stokes for 28 off 19 deliveries. The middle-order failed to contribute significantly and after the departure of AB de Villiers and Kedar Jadhav, RCB were struggling and their final hopes were Pawan Negi and Stuart Binny who began well but couldn’t stay for long, being dismissed for 10 and 18 respectively.

RCB eventual defence short by 27 runs, ending their innings at 134/9. This is the lowest total ever defended by a visiting team at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, bettering Kolkata Knight Riders’ 165 against RCB on 10^th April 2012. It’s also the third lowest total defended on this ground.

The RPS bowlers were brilliant with Ben Stokes being the pick of them with a spell of 3/18 in his four overs. Shardul Thakur also picked up three wickets but was a little expensive, conceding 35 runs from his four overs. Ben Stokes was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant spell.

Here are the player ratings for the match.

Rising Pune Supergiants

Ajinkya Rahane – 7/10

After disappointing in RPS’ previous match against the Gujarat Lions, Rahane produced a much-improved performance against RCB as he gave a steady start to the innings through his 25-ball 30 which comprised of five boundaries. During the target defence, Rahane was also the one who took the catch to dismiss Virat Kohli off Ben Stokes’ bowling.

Rahul Tripathi – 7/10

Built a crucial 63-run partnership for the first wicket alongside Rahane and ended as the top scorer for the Supergiants, scoring 31 from 23 deliveries, hitting three fours and a six; took a brilliant catch to dismiss Pawan Negi in the 18^th over.

Steve Smith – 6.5/10

He batted decently, scoring 27 runs from 24 deliveries that comprised of three boundaries and put up a 58-run stand with MS Dhoni for the third wicket. He captained the side well during the target defence as his bowling changes were effective; was also decent on the field

MS Dhoni – 6.5/10

Along with Smith, Dhoni anchored the middle-order batting with his 25-ball 28, hitting three boundaries and a majestic six. During the run-chase, Dhoni took a catch to dismiss Mandeep Singh before stumping AB de Villiers.

Ben Stokes – 9/10

Stokes failed with the bat, scoring just one but more than made up for it with the ball as he went on to bowl a marvellous spell of 3/18 in his four overs. Stokes’ first scalp was Virat Kohli who was looking in good nick at that point. He bowled Shane Watson in the 16^th over before dismissing Adam Milne during the final over in similar fashion.

The Englishman also displayed a brilliant piece of fielding during the 18^th over when he prevented a Stuart Binny shot from crossing the boundary line which eventually resulted in only a single, thus saving five runs for RPS. He was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match.

Dan Christian- 6.5/10

Christian disappointed with the bat, scoring only one but bowled a very economical spell of 0/26 from his four overs. Christian’s line and length made it difficult for the RCB batsmen to hit the big shots. However, a six and a four from Stuart Binny off his final two deliveries soured Christian’s figures a tad.

Manoj Tiwary- 7/10

Manoj Tiwary played a priceless cameo of 27 from 11 deliveries which helped the Supergiants to post a challenging total of 161. During the run-chase, Tiwary made an early blunder by dropping Virat Kohli at first slip during the second over. However, his miss did not prove to be that costly as Kohli was dismissed a few overs later.

Shardul Thakur- 7/10

Got dismissed by Adam Milne on his very first delivery but was efficient albeit a little expensive with the ball as he picked up three wickets for 35 runs in his four overs. He first dismissed Mandeep Singh before getting the wickets of Stuart Binny and Pawan Negi.

Jaydev Unadkat- 7/10

Unadkat was unbeaten on 2 with the bat before bowling a spell of 2/25 in his four overs. Unadkat first bowled out the dangerous Kedar Jadhav before bowling out Samuel Badree.

Rahul Chahar- N/A

Did not come out to bat and was not brought in to bowl either

Imran Tahir- 6.5/10

He went for 17 runs in his first two overs but came back well to concede only 10 runs in his final two. He also took the prized wicket of compatriot AB de Villiers.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli began well but could not convert his start into a big score

Virat Kohli- 6.5/10

The RCB skipper took a brilliant catch to dismiss Rahul Tripathi and was also involved in Manoj Tiwary’s run out. Kohli was looking dangerous with the bat at the beginning of the run-chase but, a badly pulled shot resulted in Ajinkya Rahane taking the catch. And as always hi wicket had a profound impact on the game.

Mandeep Singh- 1/10

Took a brilliant diving catch to send Dan Christian back to the dugout but failed with the bat as he was dismissed for a duck by Shardul Thakur.

AB de Villiers- 6/10

He contributed in the field by taking the catch to dismiss Shardul Thakur and was playing in a very composed manner during the run-chase, showing occasional aggression. However, a brilliant delivery by Imran Tahir and MS Dhoni’s brilliance saw him being stumped for 29.

Kedar Jadhav- 6/10

Produced a good block from a late cut by Ajinkya Rahane while keeping to save some runs for his side and kept decently throughout the match. He was playing patiently during the chase but a brilliant slower delivery from Jaydev Unadkat shattered his stumps and he was sent packing after scoring 18 runs.

Shane Watson- 4.5/10

Watson’s poor form in the IPL continued as he went for 44 runs in his four overs. However, he did manage to take the wicket of MS Dhoni. He couldn’t contribute much with the bat after Ben Stokes bowled him for 14.

Stuart Binny- 6/10

Binny wasn’t called out to bowl but did give RCB a ray of hope when he hit a four and a six off Daniel Christian in the 17^th over. However, he was bowled in the 18^th by Shardul Thakur after scoring a quickfire 18 from 8 deliveries.

Pawan Negi- 7/10

Negi bowled brilliantly, conceding only 12 runs from the three overs that he bowled, thus being the most economical bowler of the match. The left-arm spinner also took the key wicket of Rahul Tripathi. With the bat, Negi showed promise when he hit a six off Shardul Thakur during the 18^th over. However, he was bowled the very next delivery.

Adam Milne- 6.5/10

Milne played in only his second IPL game, coming in for the sick Tymal Mills. He was the pick of the RCB bowlers, conceding 27 runs from his four overs and getting the wickets of Ben Stokes and Shardul Thakur. However, Stokes paid him back the favour by bowling him out for 2.

Samuel Badree- 5/10

Badree could not replicate his performance against the Mumbai Indians in this match as he went for 32 runs in his four overs but picked up the crucial wicket of Ajinkya Rahane. With the willow in hand, he was bowled by Jaydev Unadkat for a duck.

Sreenath Aravind- 6.5/10

Alongside Adam Milne, Aravind was also the best bowler for RCB, bowling a spell of 2/29 in his four overs and got the wickets of Steve Smith and Dan Christian. By the time Aravind came out to bat, the match was all but over and he eventually managed to stay until the end of the innings, scoring 6 runs.

Yuzvendra Chahal- 1/10

Had a very disappointing outing as he conceded 11 runs in the only over that he bowled, being on the receiving end of Dhoni’s brilliant six; came out to bat during the final over and scored a run from two deliveries.