Earlier this year, Ravichandran Ashwin had made it blatant that he still has a lot to offer in white ball cricket. Ever since, the Kings XI skipper has been a man on a mission, marshalling his troops well and taking the onus on himself with the ball during tough situations.

His latest exploits (17 off four balls; 2/24) against in the 12-run victory over Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday won him the Man of the Match award and his team-mate David Miller paid him rich compliments.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, South African southpaw Miller said: “We tried to use the boundaries to our advantage. Ashwin was bowling extremely well. It kept us in the game. Actually, it was a really good team performance.” 

On the batting plan, during which he was part of a useful 95-run partnership with KL Rahul, Miller divulged, “I think we had just the time we needed to pull the partnership. Till the 13th over, we wanted to build a partnership and not lose wickets. At that stage, we had wickets in hand.”

With the win, Kings XI have moved to 10 points, on par with Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians though they have played the extra game (nine). For Rajasthan, who now have four points, the task of getting into the Play-offs has gotten more arduous.