IPL 6: RR v/s KKR- Heroes of the Day

Following the trend that most of the matches have taken in this season’s IPL so far, Rajasthan Royals were given a slight scare by the Kolkata Knight Riders before winning by a 19-run margin. It was the first instance that both IPL teams were greeted with a slight greenish tinge on the wicket and both opted for a 5-man pace attack. And in the end, a fine bowling performance by the home team saw KKR being handed their first loss of this season.

Typically, you don’t find green surfaces in India. It was now a question of which team would bat sensibly and sustain the momentum under pressure – and KKR cracked. With half the side gone before the 10th over, it was always going to be an uphill task for Gautam Gambhir‘s men. But they didn’t go down without a fight, but were eventually tied down by some impressive bowling by the Royals.

Let’s take a look at the Heroes for the day in this game:

1. Ajinkya Rahane – Brisk Start (36 off 34 balls)

Rahane overcame the early loss of Shane Watson by playing those exquisite cover drives all around the ground. The most impressive one was a gorgeous stroke off pacer Shami Ahmed that went for a six. Although he couldn’t go on to make a big score, he did enough to get Rajasthan to a decent total.

2. Brad Hodge – Sheet Anchor (46 off 31 balls)

With the early dismissals of Watson, skipper Rahul Dravid & all-rounder Stuart Binny, it was left to T20 veteran Brad Hodge to steady the innings. A former KKR player, Hodge absolutely relished the chance to take on his ex-comrades. Deftly playing his shots on both sides of the wicket, his brisk 46 ensured that Rajasthan crossed the 140-run mark.

3. Dishant Yagnik – Blazing Cameo ((16 off 11 balls) and three important catches

Diminutive wicket-keeper Dishant Yagnik did what most accomplished batsmen have struggled to do in the IPL so far – take the attack to mystery spinner Sunil Narine. He reverse-swept the West Indian for a four and slammed a six over midwicket off the same bowler in a manner reminiscent of CSK’s Suresh Raina. In addition, he took three important catches as well. If he continues in this vein, we could very well have another capable wicket-keeper batsman in contention for a place in the national squad soon!

4. Siddharth Trivedi – Mr. Consistent (3/23)

One bowler I have been thoroughly impressed with over the seasons is Siddharth Trivedi. He likes to mix things up well, and was rewarded handsomely for his efforts with the Player of the Match award. Trivedi’s innocuous seam bowling broke the back of the KKR line-up as he dismissed a rampaging Gautam Gambhir, followed by the wickets of Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Ratan Shukla. Definitely a future India prospect!

5. Kevon Cooper – Strike Package (3/15)

The tall Trinidadian is fast turning out to be a vital cog in Rajasthan’s bowling machinery. Effectively using variations in pace, Cooper not only stuck to the basics, but also provided crucial breakthroughs at the right time. He snared KKR’s two big fish – Yusuf Pathan and the dangerous Eoin Morgan. Be it the middle overs or during the death, Cooper is Dravid’s go-to man in pressure situations.

6. Eoin Morgan – The Lone Ranger (51 off 38 balls)

With KKR down in the royal dumps after half the side returned to the dugout, Morgan kept the scorecard ticking with sensible batting and unleashed the big shots when needed. His flick over fine leg off Shaun Tait for six was the shot of the evening. He nearly pulled off a miracle, but Kevon Cooper produced the right delivery – or Morgan played the wrong shot – that sealed the deal for the Royals.

Looking at the trend so far, this year’s IPL looks to be going the low-scoring route. With so many great bowling performances, the IPL is proving to be so much more than a batsman’s game.