IPL 2019: Match 36, RR vs MI – Rajasthan Royals Player Ratings

The Rajasthan Royals are down and out in the 2019 edition of the IPL. They have missed their plot and plans horribly this season. With the chances of making it to the playoffs being very grim, the Royals have nothing but their pride to play for. Under the new leadership of Steve Smith, RR seems to have clicked well in their most recent home game against the Mumbai Indians. Chasing a modest total of 161, the Royals were finely guided by their new skipper who remained unbeaten on 59 to see his side home with 5 wickets in hand.

Earlier in the match, the hosts RR won the toss and opted to bowl first. They were fortunate to dismiss Rohit Sharma in the third over of the match. But Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav ensured that the hosts did not taste any more success in the next 10 overs that followed. The duo added 97 runs for the second wicket to keep MI floating in the game. While Yadav scored a fighting 34, de Kock was the aggressor in the partnership with 65 to his name. Towards the end of the innings, RR clawed back with a few more wickets, and ensured that MI posted a decent 161/5 in 20 overs.

In the run chase, it was all about Steven Smith. The eyes were glued on the newly appointed skipper and he walked in to bat in the fourth over after the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane. Smith took his time to settle in and then batted sensibly to anchor the run chase. He remained unbeaten on 59, and was very well supported by Riyan Parag, who scored a fine 43. Their combined efforts helped Royals cruise past the target with 5 deliveries to spare.

Here are the RR Player Ratings for the match:

Ajinkya Rahane – 3/10

The former Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane is going through a lean patch in this season of the IPL. Prior to this game, he was sacked from his captaincy duties. His poor run with the bat continued here in this game as well. After having tested himself in the middle-order in the previous game, Rahane was back to his opening duties in this match. The change in batting slots did not work well enough and all he could manage was a run-a-ball 12 during his stay at the crease.

Sanju Samson – 6/10

The RR camp has started tweaking and testing a bit with their top order now. They tried Rahul Tripathi in the opening slot in the previous game, and in this match, they sent out Sanju Samson to take the duty. Samson had the big boots of Jos Buttler to fill in the lineup. Samson looked very good with his shot selections and hammered 6 fours and a six in his 19-ball 35.

Steven Smith – 9.5/10

Steven Smith has faced a lot in recent times. Despite all the odds he has been against, the RR team management showed great faith in him to name him the new skipper. Smith responded well with a match-winning 59 to his name. The unbeaten knock came off 48 deliveries and was studded with five fours and a six. He added a handy 70-run stand with Riyan Parag which scripted the base for this Royals victory.

Ben Stokes – 1/10

It was surprising to see the RR think tank not giving a bowl to Ben Stokes in this match. Stokes did not bowl a single over. In the batting lineup, the southpaw was promoted to bat at number four. He walked in to bat in the 8th over and had ample of time and opportunity to get his eye in. Unfortunately for him, he perished for a 2-ball duck.

Riyan Parag – 8/10

Young spinner Riyan Parag got yet another opportunity to show his skills at the big stage. Parag was the last bowler introduced in to the attack in this game. He largely played the role of filling out the overs for the fifth bowler. He got only two overs at his disposal and he failed to pick up any wicket. He finished with 0/17.  Later, Parag was promoted at number 5 and the youngster showed great skills to score 43 off 29 balls in the run chase. He was unfortunate to have missed out on seeing his side home and was run out in the 18th over.

Ashton Turner – 1/10

Ashton Turner’s horrible run with the bat in the T20 cricket continued. His previous three T20 outings read the score of 0 in every game. In this match, the trend continued and he bagged yet another golden duck. Also, this was Turner’s consecutive ducks in his IPL career. He has played 2 IPL matches, and he is yet to get off the mark.

Stuart Binny – 7/10

Stuart Binny has been one of the underused players in the RR camp. The talented all-rounder showed his capabilities with the bat in the previous match with a herculean knock. In this match, he was given the task of bowling with the new ball. He lived up to the expectation of his side and conceded just 12 runs in his first two overs. He came back to bowl in the middle overs, and dismissed Suryakumar Yadav to break a long partnership. Binny returned with 1/19 to his name in three overs. Later, in the run chase, he finished things off with a four for his side as he remained unbeaten on 7.

Jofra Archer – 5/10

Jofra Archer has been in good bowling lately. He has started to pick up good form just at the right time. With the World Cup prospect looming large for him, he is only doing a world of good to himself with consistent showing in the IPL. He bowled his complete quota of overs in this match as well, and conceded only 22 runs. He also managed to dismiss a dangerous-looking Hardik Pandya in the final over of the MI innings. Archer, however, dropped three catches in the match and that could’ve cost RR dearly.

Shreyas Gopal – 8/10

Leggie Shreyas Gopal has undoubtedly been the most impressive bowler in the RR outfit. Time and again, he has bowled economical spells to choke the run flow in the middle overs of the game. Gopal was at his best yet again and delivered the goods for his side. He was the pick of the bowlers for RR as he finished with 2/21 in his four overs. He accounted for the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma.

Jaydev Unadkat – 2/10

Jaydev Unadkat has been one of the mainstays of the Rajasthan Royals setup over the last two seasons. He is expected to shoulder a big responsibility with the ball, but the veteran operator has been pretty much failing in living up to his expectations. Even in this game, he did manage to take the wicket of Kieron Pollard towards the end of the MI innings, but was taken away for a lot of runs. He conceded 46 runs in his spell of 4 overs and was the most expensive bowler for his side.

Dhawan Kulkarni – 3/10

Dhawal Kulkarni had a decent time with the ball. He would have liked it, even more, had he managed to pick up a few wickets on the day. This game summed up the kind of season he has been having. He has bowled well with the new ball but has failed to be penetrative enough to cause problems to the opposition batters. He finished with 0/31 in the three overs that he bowled.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.