Article
IPL 2018: Match 17 (CSK vs RR) – Hits and Flops
By B Dixit - Apr 21, 2018 9:39 am
Views 66

During the 17th match of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Pune, Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 64 runs.

After Ajinkya Rahane put Chennai Super Kings in to bat, the home team scored 204-5 in their allotted quota of 20 overs. Shane Watson, who registered his third IPL century was adjourned the ‘Man of the Match’.

The Royals never really came in a position to chase the target. Wickets at regular intervals and a mounting required run rate led to their downfall. They ended up scoring 140-10 in 18.3 overs.

Now, we will look at the hits and flops players in this match.

Hits

Shane Watson

Shane Watson (CSK) – Been failing to convert his starts into innings of substantial importance, Watson did full justice with the role of being an opener today. In an innings which saw him scoring his highest ever IPL score,  106 (57), with the help of nine fours and six sixes, Watson played a match-winning knock to the likes of his team.

Shreyas Gopal.

Shreyas Gopal (RR) – In a match where his team conceded 204 runs in 20 overs at 10.2 run per over, Shreyas Gopal registered bowling figures of 4-0-20-3. Apart from giving runs at a paltry economy rate of 5 against a roaring Watson, Gopal also picked up the wickets of Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sam Billings.

Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar (CSK) – Bowling three overs in the powerplay in a situation where the batsmen are expected to have a go at you is a daunting task. That being said, Deepak Chahar did exactly the same tonight. He was successful in dismissing Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane in his second and third over respectively. He ended up with bowling figures of 4-0-30-2.

Flops

Jaydev Unadkat (RR) – Jaydev Unadkat’s performance in this match was nothing different than what he has done in this season of the IPL so far. Unadkat registered disappointing bowling figures of 4-0-39-0. Being the leader of the attack and in the absence of Dhawal Kulkarni, he was expected to take onus with the ball in hand. His lacklustre spell possessed no danger at all to the opposition batsmen.

Ajinkya Rahane (RR) – In a chase of 205 runs, captain Ajinkya Rahane was pretty much expected to take the responsibility onto him and steer the chase. Given his abilities, Rahane could have been the element in the Royals’ line-up around which the whole batting order should have revolved. Forget the batting order, Rahane himself didn’t last long, scoring 16 (11) with the help of a four and a six.

Jos Buttler (RR) – Known for his ability to turn the course of the match with his power hitting, tonight was the perfect opportunity for Buttler to take his team past the winning line. In a 205-run chase, he had to contribute significantly in the middle order. Having said that, he ended up scoring 22 (17) with the help of one four and one six.