IPL 2022 | Qualifier 2- RR vs RCB: Superstar and Under-performer of the Match

IPL 2022 is one match away from getting its winner. Qualifier 2 between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) decided the second finalists of the 15th edition of the tournament. However, given that a spot in the final was up for grabs, the affair was rather one-sided.

The RR bowlers were brilliant on the day. They never loosened their grip on the RCB batters and restricted them to a very moderate total. The match was won by RR in the first inning itself. So, the Superstar of the Match is a bowler from the RR camp.

Prasidh Krishna was under pressure after being slammed for three sixes in the last over of the match against GT, where he was given 16 runs to defend. Krishna came into the game with his confidence on the lower side.

 But he did not let that get into his head and treated it as fresh and delivered when it was most required.

Let us first look at his figures for the match

Prasidh Krishna Qualifier 2 figures:

Overs: 4 Runs Conceded: 22 Wickets: 3 Balls Per Wicket: 8 Runs Per Wicket: 7.33

The overs that he bowled during RCB's innings were 2,4,6, and the 19th over. Sanju Samson used three of his overs in the power-play. In the three overs, he just conceded 14 runs and picked up the all-important wicket of Virat Kohli. Later, he also picked up the wickets of Dinesh Karthik and Wanindu Hasaranga. While being incredibly economical, the two very important wickets of Kohli and Karthik make him the 'Superstar of the Match.'

Under-performer of the Match: While batting first in the match, RCB required a dynamic and a solid start to put up a formidable total in the game. Faf du Plessis opened the RCB innings with Virat Kohli. Faf was expected to try and take up the role of an aggressor after the initial phase. But he never found his mojo during his stay in the middle. Let us take a look at how he progressed during his stay.

Faf du Plessis SR vs RR

Even after getting set, Faf failed to carry the momentum forward. This led to the loss in the momentum of the team as well. Being out there for 27 deliveries, it was expected that he'd at least score 35-40 runs. This would have laid a strong and dynamic foundation for the team. 

In fact, Jos Buttler showed how to start the inning when one is not middling it. Buttler took on the bowlers even when the shots were not coming out of the middle of his bat. Thus the lack of intent at the start of the innings and the failure to read the match situation makes du Plessis the 'Underperformer of the Match.'