IPL 10, Match 49, KXIP v KKR - Kings XI Punjab Player Ratings

The Kings XI Punjab registered their 6th win of the season when they beat the heavyweights of the season Kolkata Knight Riders at Mohali. The narrow 14 run win on the night meant that the Kings have managed to stay afloat in the race to the playoffs. Certainly, their chances in the tournament depends on the result of the final match for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. However, the win helped them tick their boxes right.

Two more wins in the other two games can see them finish among top four after the league stage. Coming into the game, the Kings XI Punjab had the do or die encounter on their hands. Their opposition, the Kolkata Knight Riders, were going to be stiff opposition on the night. KKR also needed a win as the win could have cemented their place in the playoffs berth.

On the day, the Kings managed to post a decent 167/6 in their stipulated 20 overs. It was some gutsy batting from Wriddhiman Saha in the middle order that was combined with the batting heroics of Glenn Maxwell towards the end. The run chase for KKR was yet another Chris Lynn show. However, Lynn’s belligerent 84 off 52 balls were not enough to take KKR over the line and KXIP won by 14 runs.

Here are the Kings XI Punjab Player Ratings for the KXIP v KKR encounter:

Martin Guptill – 3/10

Hard-hitting opener Martin Guptill did not have Hashim Amla as his opener on the day. Guptill failed to get the stability that he usually needs at the other end which Amla seemed to have been providing with ease. Today, he did not get his feet going straightaway.

Guptill’s stay at the crease was not very pleasing and he looked rusty. He finished with a score of 16 to his name that came off 12 deliveries with a solitary boundary on the day.

Manan Vohra – 4/10

Manan Vohra has been one of the underrated stars of the Kings roster for quite some time now. Vohra had been a star performer for the Kings at the top order this season. However, with the likes of Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill being drafted in the lineup, Vohra had to be demoted to the middle order.

Today, he found yet another opportunity to bat at his preferred slot of opening. He looked good during his stay at the crease. Vohra hit four good boundaries in his knock of 25 that came off just 16 balls. Vohra looked in fine touch but threw it away at a time when he should have carried on.

Shaun Marsh – 2/10

Shaun Marsh has been one of the most consistent performers for the Kings XI Punjab this season. He had a very quiet outing with the ball though. He ended up scoring 11 off just 10 balls and was a big disappointment for his team in the match. Marsh will be expected to shoulder more responsibility from the next outings.

Wriddhiman Saha – 7/10

Star Indian wicket keeper Wriddhiman Saha had been in the firing range for quite a long time. He was in tremendous form coming into the tournament. But the veteran Indian keeper failed to translate his good run of domestic form to the T20 cricket.

He was due for a big score for quite some time and the pundits had started bringing him under the scrutiny. Saha was not at his fluent best on the day but managed to score 38 on the day. His knock gave some stability to the Kings XI Punjab innings and it came off 33 balls with 2 fours and a six.

Glenn Maxwell – 8/10

Skipper Glenn Maxwell has slowly been settling in the role of the finisher for his franchise this season. He had scored a brisk start in the previous match. He continued from where he had stopped in the last game. He scored a quickfire 44 that came off just 25 balls on the day. His knock provided the much needed impetus to the innings on the day. He had a boundary and 4 sixes to his name on the day.

Axar Patel – 5/10

Axar Patel has been in a fine form this season. He has been the all-rounder for the KXIP camp thus far and has been performing decently well with both bat and the ball. Patel played his part decently well in both the departments. With the bat, he failed to hit big runs and managed to get 8 runs to his credit. With the ball, he played the second fiddle to Rahul Tewatia on the night with figures of 0/28 in his four overs. He took a couple of stunning catches in the deep as well.

Swapnil Singh – 2/10

Swapnil Singh got yet another opportunity for the Kings on the day. Swapnil got his opportunity to bat in the game towards the fag end of the innings. He could not provide the late flourish and departed after scoring just 2. With the ball, he was only given a couple of overs to bowl. Swapnil failed to look impressive in those two overs and went for 19 runs.

Rahul Tewatia – 8.5/10

Young leg spinner Rahul Tewatia played his first match for the Kings XI Punjab today. He is not a new kid on the block. The 23-year old has previously been associated with the Rajasthan Royals in the tournament history. Tewatia bowled an exceptional spell on the day.

He choked up the run flow with some fine display of leg spin bowling on the day. Tewatia bowled his complete quota of 4 overs on the day. He gave away just 18 runs and took 2 wickets to set things right for the Kings. He took the big wickets of Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir.

Matt Henry – 7/10

New Zealand speedster Matt Henry got his first taste of the Indian Premier League on the day. Henry managed to dismiss the key wicket of Manish Pandey in the middle overs. Manish held the key for the Knights in the middle overs. He was expected to shoulder the responsibility of the run chase along with Chris Lynn.

However, it was Henry who managed to get the better him on the day. Henry was taken for a plenty in the first few overs during the powerplay. He settled his figures later on and finished with figures of 1/31 in the three overs that he got to bowl on the day.

Mohit Sharma – 8/10

Mohit Sharma has been a veteran bowler in the Kings lineup for a long time now. He put up a great display of decent bowling on the day and was arguably the pick of the bowlers on the night. In the 3 overs that he bowled on the day, Mohit returned with figures of 2/24.

He provided the first breakthrough for the KXIP today when he dismissed the dangerous-looking Sunil Narine on 18. Later, he managed to dismiss the hard-hitting batsman Yusuf Pathan in the penultimate over of the match. He bowled the slower balls with perfection.

Sandeep Sharma – 7/10

Sandeep Sharma has been the leading bowler for the Kings XI Punjab this season. On most occasions, he has been the go-to man for his skipper this season. With his swing and seam, he has managed to outplay most oppositions thus far. He went wicketless in this particular game.

But the way he negated the attack of Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn at the top order has been phenomenal. He created the pressure first up that saw the wicket of Narine falling cheaply. Sandeep bowled his complete quota of four overs on the night. He returned with figures of 0/31 in those four overs. Sandeep capped off the perfect game by bowling a brilliant last over.