IPL 2019: Qualifier 2, CSK vs DC – Chennai Super Kings Player Ratings

The coming Sunday is going to see an epic ultimate showdown between the two three-time IPL champions fight for the bragging rights of the 2019 edition of the tournament. Chennai Super Kings have set their date with the Mumbai Indians for the summit clash, scheduled to be played in Hyderabad. In the penultimate game of the season, CSK beat the Delhi Capitals rather convincingly to storm into yet another final.

Coming to the game, CSK had their second shot at a Final’s berth after their loss against the Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1. On the other hand, the Capitals had beaten the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator to win their first-ever playoffs match in the tournament history. The contest between the two teams promised to be a thrilling one. When these two sides clashed in Vizag, it rather turned out to be a one-sided affair with CSK showing their immense experience to dominate the youth and exuberance of the Capitals.

MS Dhoni asked DC to bat first on what looked like a sluggish track. DC did not have a great start and they lost their openers early in the game. Shreyas Iyer and Colin Munro got starts but neither of the two looked comfortable against the CSK spinners. Rishabh Pant came in as a ray of hope with his 25-ball 38 to see DC crawl past the 130-run mark. A couple of final blows from Ishant Sharma in the final over saw DC finish with 147/9 in their 20 overs.

In the run chase, CSK had a stuttering start with Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis showing no chemistry whilst running between the wickets even as the runs were not flowing. However, things stabilised soon after, and the duo added 81 runs for the first wicket. The base for the run chase was set and both openers converted starts into their respective fifties. Later, the other batters completed the formalities to chase down the total in 19 overs and with 6 wickets to spare.

Here are the CSK Player Ratings for the match:

Faf du Plessis – 8.5/10

Faf du Plessis had a messy start to the innings when a horrible mix-up between him and Shane Watson almost cost him his wicket. After the scratchy start, the Proteas batter managed to get his eyes in the next couple of overs. He took a few balls to settle and then decided to take the acceleration in the last two overs of the power play. Du Plessis picked up more pace thereafter and eventually notched up another fifty this season. He scored 50 off 39 deliveries with 7 fours and a six to his name.

Shane Watson – 9/10

Shane Watson has not had the best of times in the IPL this year. Despite his inconsistent run of form, CSK have persisted with his services and the former Australian all-rounder came good in this game. After a rather sluggish start from his standards, Watson ended up scoring a quick fifty. He was involved in the opening wicket stand of 81 runs with Du Plessis and was happy to play the supporting role in the partnership. He scored 50 off 32 deliveries with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name.

Suresh Raina – 3/10

The string of low scores continued for Suresh Raina in the 2019 edition of the IPL. The veteran Indian batter arrived at the crease at a relatively easier part of the run chase. With about a run-a-ball needed to win, Raina had his opportunity to get his eyes in and finish off things for his side. But the southpaw could only score 11 runs off 13 deliveries during his stay at the crease before being cleaned up Axar Patel.

Ambati Rayudu – 4/10

Ambati Rayudu had a decent run with the bat in the match. Rayudu came in to bat in the 13th over after the dismissal of Shane Watson. He looked in no hurry and was calm enough to know that no reckless shot was needed in the context of the run chase. He stayed unbeaten on 20 off 20 balls with three fours to his name to see his side over the line in the must-win game.

MS Dhoni – 5/10

CSK skipper MS Dhoni had the stage set for himself in the run chase when he walked in to bat. With the chase under control, the team just needed him to nudge the ball around and get things over the line on the day. But the CSK skipper ended up getting dismissed on 9 with 2 runs still needed for the team to win. Earlier in the game, Dhoni had an impressive time donning the captaincy hat as he used his troops to perfection.

Dwayne Bravo – 8/10

Dwayne Bravo’s services with the ball have not largely been used this season. Time and again, the frontline bowlers have done an exceptional job for MS Dhoni throughout this season. In this game though, Dhoni turned to Bravo for a complete spell of bowling. Bravo got his four overs in the match, and he proved to be the most economical bowler for his side. He returned with figures of 2/19 in his quota of 4 overs. He got just one ball to face in the match, and he hit the winning runs for his side.

Ravindra Jadeja – 7.5/10

Ravindra Jadeja has been a big part of the successful CSK spin troika this season. The left-arm spinner bowled two very economical overs in the middle stage of the Delhi innings. He managed to send Colin Munro packing in the match, and also accounted for the wicket of Trent Boult in the final over. He was tasked with bowling the final over and he ended up having a tough time. Ishant Sharma hit a six and a four on the final two deliveries to spoil his match figures, that eventually read 2/23 in 3 overs.

Deepak Chahar – 8/10

Deepak Chahar has been the most impressive Indian pacer bowler in this year’s IPL. The swing bowler proved to be a masterclass yet again. He beat Prithvi Shaw’s edge on multiple occasions, and also almost had Shikhar Dhawan chop on to his stumps thrice in the match. Chahar dismissed Shaw first up, and later took the big wicket of Rishabh Pant too. He finished with economical figures of 2/28 in his quota of four overs.

Shardul Thakur – 2/10

Shardul Thakur walked into the CSK lineup for this game. He replaced Murali Vijay in the playing eleven as Dhoni believed having an extra bowler is what the team needed in the match. The pace bowler was given the new ball, and he failed to live up to the expectations. He was taken away for 13 runs in the only over that he bowled in the match. He was not considered for his second over.

Harbhajan Singh – 7.5/10

MS Dhoni missed out on a trick by not bowling Harbhajan in the second over of the match. Considering the fact that Shikhar Dhawan was at the crease, introducing the off-spinner looked like an obvious choice. Well, Dhoni corrected his error pretty soon and brought Harbhajan to bowl the fourth over of the match. The offie responded well and dismissed Dhawan in the over. Later in the game, he also took the wicket of Sherfane Rutherford. He finished with 2/31 in his four overs.

Imran Tahir – 6/10

Imran Tahir is steadily inching closer to being the Purple Cap winner of the IPL 2019. Tahir is just a wicket away from being the leading wicket-taker this season. The South African leg spinner was impressive yet again in this season. He bowled his complete quota of overs in the match and finished with figures of 1/28. Yet again, his wrong ‘un was tough to pick and bamboozled the southpaw-heavy DC lineup. Tahir took the big wicket of Shreyas Iyer in the match, which turned out to be a turning point in the match.

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