IPL 2017, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Lions: Player Ratings
In a face-off between two struggling teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) played host to the Gujarat Lions on Thursday. Suresh Raina won the toss and did not veer away from the prevailing trend of chasing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
When confronted by a tricky pitch, RCB’s power packed top-order flattered to deceive once again. Even though the lower-order batsmen attempted to resuscitate the innings and give their bowlers something to defend, the hosts could only limp towards a measly total of 134.
Despite losing a couple of early wickets, Gujarat cruised to the target with seven wickets in hand and jumped to sixth position in the points table.
Let us take a close look at who did what in the engrossing contest at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Samuel Badree – 8
The seasoned campaigner gave a fighting chance for RCB by pricing out both openers in the space of just 10 deliveries. His tight stump-to-stump line briefly raised the hopes of the buoyant crowd. But, his spell did not end well as Aaron Finch dispatched him into the stands on consecutive occasions.
Sreenath Aravind – 8
Conceding just 19 runs from three overs, Aravind was among the bright spots for RCB in an otherwise forgettable encounter. Possessing quite a few variations up his sleeve, the left-armer tried his best to keep the batsmen in check.
Pawan Negi – 7.5
A surprise package in the lower-order, Negi ended up as RCB's top run-scorer in this match. With 32 off just 19 balls, the left-hander threatened to come in the way of the visitors’ progress. He was going strong until a well-flighted googly resulted in his downfall. Apart from picking up Finch towards the end of the chase, his bowling did not have any impact.
Kedar Jadhav – 7.5
Coming into bat at 22/3, Jadhav took the wind out of Gujarat’s sails by launching an audacious counter-attack. The diminutive right-hander smashed four boundaries and a maximum in his 18-ball 31. While looking to cut a stifling delivery from Ravindra Jadeja, his stunning cameo came to an end.
Aniket Choudhary – 6
Showing his usefulness with the bat, Choudhary contributed 15 runs from 12 balls to add a semblance of respectability to the total. However, in his primary department, the left-arm pacer failed to impress.
Yuzvendra Chahal – 5
For any leg-spinner, defending a small target is never an easy task. Chahal could have provided a major breakthrough for his team. Alas, he failed to keep his front foot behind the line. His three overs came at the cost of 29 runs.
Virat Kohli – 4
The skipper made his intentions pretty clear by flicking one nonchalantly over the square leg fielder for a breathtaking six. However, Kohli sent the Chinnaswamy crowd into a state of disappointment when he paid the price for an error in judgment.
Mandeep Singh – 3.5
A top-order batsman by trade, Mandeep has had to bat lower down the order due to RCB’s top-heavy batting lineup. Even though he batted for 14 deliveries, he could not score fluently. His misery was ended when a poor shot found the safe hands of Jadeja.
Chris Gayle – 3.5
As he so often does, Gayle began rather cautiously. An inaccurate delivery within his reach allowed him score his first boundary. When it seemed like he was getting himself in, the opener perished to a probing ball from Andrew Tye.
AB de Villiers – 2.5
Struggling to time the ball on a bowler-friendly surface, AB de Villiers made matters worse for Royal Challengers by throwing his wicket away through an indecisive piece of running between the wickets.
Travis Head – 1
With Gujarat’s bowlers seizing the momentum, Head could not handle the pressure and departed for a first-ball duck.