In an allround display, DC hammered KKR in the league-stage encounter of the IPL 2022 played on April 10. The 2020 finalists proved too good for the two-time champions in a high-scoring fixture where their opening pair and bowlers shined the brightest.
Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Delhi reached a whopping 215/5 in their allotted 20 overs, with their opening duo Prithvi Shaw (51) and David Warner (61) being the two stand-out scorers. The duo gave their side an early footing in the game, adding 91 runs for the first wicket inside the first nine overs.
Given how the track was playing, DC always had to aim for a sizable score and give their bowlers a good enough cushion against a flat track and a KKR batting unit that had strong power-hitters down the order.
The Rishabh Pant-led side lost their way a touch in the middle-order. However, but then a perfect finish from the utility duo of Axar Patel (22*) and Shardul Thakur (29*) propelled them past the 210-mark, going hammer and tongs against the KKR quicks.
Bar their mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who bagged fantastic figures of 2 for 21 off his 4 overs. The KKR attack was smashed to all corners for the first half of the match.
In the run-chase, the Knight Riders were forced to take risks from the get-go, and that meant wickets at the regular intervals for the opposition. The only time they were really in the hunt was when their skipper Shreyas Iyer blasted his way to a 33-ball 54.
KKR’s final glimmer of hope was the trio of hitters in Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine. But the two of them were nullified inside one over from DC’s resurgent wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, who continued his new-found form with a four-fer (4/35).
DC’s next best bowling performer was left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who finished with three for 25 off his quota. In an impressive allround performance, Thakur backed his critical batting exploits with two wickets for 30 runs, including the prize scalp of Russell.
Brief scores
Delhi Capitals 215/5 in 20 overs (Warner 61, Shaw 51; Narine 2/21) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 171/10 in 19.4 overs (Iyer 54; Yadav 4/35, Ahmed 3/25) by 44 runs
