KKR vs RCB, IPL 2023: RCB Player Ratings as Faf du Plessis and Co. surrender to spin in Eden Gardens thrashing
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fell to their first defeat in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed them by 81 runs at Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 6.
Nitish Rana and Co. managed to pile on 204/7 in the first innings, with Shardul Thakur contributing a superb 68 off just 29 balls. RCB started off decently in the chase but soon lost the plot, with the KKR spinners picking up nine wickets between them.
Here are RCB's player ratings from Match 9 of IPL 2023 against KKR.
IPL 2023, KKR vs RCB: Bangalore have no answers to Narine, Varun, Suyash, Shardul
Faf du Plessis: 5.5/10
Du Plessis' captaincy was rather sub-par as he let KKR run away with the game in the middle overs. The RCB skipper made a positive start, striking two fours and as many sixes, but was outfoxed by a Varun Chakaravarthy googly.
Virat Kohli: 6/10
Kohli found the boundary three times in the first five overs but arguably played too many dot balls. He fell to his nemesis Sunil Narine once again, bowled through the gate by a ripping off-break. The former RCB captain was a livewire on the field.
Michael Bracewell: 6/10
Bracewell started his spell well by picking up the wicket of Nitish Rana, but his three overs ended up costing him as many as 34 runs. He came in at No. 3 and tried to hold one end up before being hurried by a Shardul Thakur bouncer. Thakur tormented the Kiwi with both the bat and ball.
Glenn Maxwell: 3/10
Maxwell was always going to be susceptible to Sunil Narine and Chakaravarthy, and he lost his stumps off his seventh ball. The Aussie dasher is present in the RCB middle order to take on spinners with his innovative shots, but he almost never inspires confidence while at the crease.
Shahbaz Ahmed: 5/10
Shahbaz bowled one economical over. He had ample time to make an impression with the bat, and although he connected his attempted reverse sweep well, he found a fielder in the deep.
Dinesh Karthik: 4/10
DK was never going to last long against the KKR spinners after being sent in to bat in an unfamiliar situation. The RCB keeper-batter lasted eight balls before being sent back by IPL debutant Suyash Sharma.
David Willey: 9/10
Willey was easily the best RCB player on display in Kolkata. He ran through two KKR batters with some superb swing bowling in the powerplay, with his four overs costing just 16 runs. The Englishman also contributed an unbeaten run-a-ball 20.
Harshal Patel: 2/10
Harshal had another disappointing outing with the ball, leaking 38 runs in three overs. The opposition batters seem to find it all too easy to read his variations these days, and he seems to have lost a yard of pace as well. The 32-year-old earned a promotion in the batting order but didn't capitalize, bagging a two-ball duck.
Karn Sharma: 7/10
Karn picked up another two wickets in Kolkata, including the big one of Andre Russell. The leg-spinner has been bowling well and could create a selection headache for RCB when Wanindu Hasaranga returns.
Akash Deep: 3/10
Akash Deep had a terrible game with the ball. He overstepped twice and dished out a plethora of freebies, with his two overs yielding 30 runs for KKR. The No. 11 batter tonked a couple of balls out of the ground, but it was too little too late for the visiting side.
Mohammed Siraj: 3/10
Siraj got appreciable movement with the new ball but wasn't able to regulate his lines. He bowled two overs at the death that weren't particularly impressive either. The lead RCB pacer's spell went for 44 runs.
Anuj Rawat [impact]: 1/10
Rawat came in at a lowly No. 8 and played five balls for one run. His attempted slog-sweep handed Suyash his maiden IPL wicket.