IPL 2021, CSK vs KKR Player Ratings: Captains struggle in see-saw thriller

An all-round effort from the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) helped them beat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by two wickets in Abu Dhabi and move to the top of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) points table.

After Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat in favorable conditions, KKR posted a decent 171-run total. In the chase, classy knocks from the openers and minor contributions from the middle order helped CSK get over the line off the final ball of the innings.

Here are the player ratings from Match 38 of IPL 2021 between CSK and KKR.

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IPL 2021: CSK player ratings vs KKR as all-round contributions seal thrilling win

Ruturaj Gaikwad: 7.5/10

Gaikwad played another impressive knock, striking two fours and three sixes in his 40. His dismissal was soft, but he helped CSK gain the upper hand almost immediately in the chase with some beautiful shots against both spin and pace.

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Faf du Plessis: 7.5/10

Du Plessis played a supporting hand in the first few overs before finding the boundary at will towards the end of the middle overs. He found sweeper to perfection off Prasidh in the 12th over, but he had done enough by then. The South African was impressive in the field as always.

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Moeen Ali: 7/10

Not required with the ball once again, Moeen made another handy contribution at No. 3. His treatment of KKR's pacers injected momentum into the CSK innings, although he got out at a terrible time.

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Ambati Rayudu: 6/10

Barring a sweetly timed boundary, Rayudu didn't seem too comfortable before an ugly hoick sent him back to the hut. He ran out Shubman Gill with a precise throw from midwicket.

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Suresh Raina: 5.5/10

Raina collected one boundary off Sunil Narine but couldn't make the most of his start against spin as an ill-advised second run found him short of his ground.

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MS Dhoni: 3/10

Despite a few trademark bowling masterstrokes, this wasn't one of Dhoni's better games as captain as his usage of Sam Curran severely impacted CSK at the death. He was bamboozled by Varun Chakravarthy, not for the first time, in what has become an all-too-familiar batting display.

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Ravindra Jadeja: 8/10

Jadeja has been immense for CSK this season, especially against RCB. The all-rounder bowled a tidy spell of 1/21 and followed it up with a late eight-ball blitz that sealed the game for his team. He would've been rated higher for his Man of the Match showing, but his mistake in the final over nearly took the game to a Super Over.

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Sam Curran: 1/10

Curran had probably his worst game in a CSK shirt. He leaked 56 runs in his four overs and was all over the place before a rash shot in the final over put the following batsmen under undue pressure.

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Deepak Chahar: 7/10

Chahar had a decent if unspectacular game with the ball, sending down four overs for 32 runs. With the pressure on him during the final ball, with one run needed, he swept one over the infield to take CSK to a thrilling win.

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Shardul Thakur: 9/10

Thakur was the pick of the CSK bowlers as he dismissed Andre Russell and the in-form Venky Iyer while conceding only 20 runs. His paddle-swept triple was invaluable for CSK in the final over.

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Josh Hazlewood: 6.5/10

Hazlewood struggled to find purchase on a wicket that wasn't too kind to the pacers, and although he dismissed Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik, he conceded 40 runs in his spell.

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IPL 2021: KKR player ratings vs CSK as Russell injury worsens defeat

Shubman Gill: 4.5/10

Gill had only himself to blame for his run-out in the very first over of the innings. He has thrown away positive starts twice in a row now and needs to get his act together.

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Venkatesh Iyer: 7/10

Iyer played an uncharacteristically circumspect 18-run innings before Thakur's introduction worked wonders for CSK. He bowled a wonderful over at the death, conceding just five runs, but his fielding was slightly sub-par.

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Nitish Rana: 6.5/10

Batting at No. 5, Rana struggled to accelerate at the death despite finding the boundary every now and then. He had a strike rate of 137 and batted throughout the second phase of the innings.

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Rahul Tripathi: 7.5/10

KKR's No. 3 was incredible once again as he played a positive 45-run knock that helped his team recover from the early loss of Gill. Jadeja outsmarted him just when KKR needed him to kick on, but Tripathi has been a revelation this season.

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Eoin Morgan: 4/10

Morgan's batting woes continued against CSK. He labored to 8 off 14 before a smart boundary catch put him out of his misery. The KKR skipper captained well until the 19th over, when his decision to bowl Prasidh Krishna ahead of Sunil Narine ended in disaster.

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Dinesh Karthik: 8.5/10

Karthik's sparkling cameo at the death was the difference between a one-sided CSK win and a close contest. He could've done more if he had come into bat a few overs earlier.

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Andre Russell: 6.5/10

Russell couldn't impress with the bat again, scoring 20 off 15 before missing out on a length delivery right in his slot. He dismissed Gaikwad before an unfortunate injury limited his involvement in the game. KKR will hope that the injury isn't serious, but the visuals on the field weren't encouraging.

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Sunil Narine: 7.5/10

Narine leaked runs in his first three overs, during which he dismissed Rayudu. He came into his own in the final over of the innings, taking it down to the last ball by scalping two wickets, although only four runs were needed. He ended up with figures of 3/41.

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Lockie Ferguson: 7/10

Barring a few loose deliveries, Ferguson bowled accurately and threatened to provide breakthroughs. He took a good catch in the deep as well.

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Prasidh Krishna: 2/10

Krishna dismissed Du Plessis in the 12th over to bring KKR back into the game, but the wicket was more Ferguson's than his. He bowled the penultimate over and ruined the game for KKR, sending down length deliveries and failing to execute according to his field.

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Varun Chakravarthy: 7.5/10

Chakravarthy was the pick of the KKR bowlers once again. He dismissed Dhoni and kept the CSK batsmen guessing with his smart variations over the course of an economical spell.