Sunil Narine top-scored with (85, 39b, 7×4, 7×6) as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) tore apart Delhi Capitals’ (DC’s) bowling like cotton candy to post 272 for seven and went on to win by 106 runs at the Dr. YSR ACA-VDCA cricket stadium here on Wednesday.
Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders 2024 Scorecard
Narine batted in stark contrast to his opening partner, Phil Salt, as he swatted sixes and fours. Salt, on the other hand, clubbed the ball hard to give his team a bright start.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, meanwhile, was methodically violent towards Delhi. He was Virat Kohli-like with his cover drive and pull to the deep midwicket boundary. Yet, as if in a fit of temper, he reverse-hit Rasikh Salam for six. He hit two more sixes off Sumit Kumar and Rasikh Salam to the deep midwicket boundary.
The 18-year-old began his innings with a pull and a punch beyond the point fielder for back-to-back fours off Anrich Nortje.
While Salt hit two consecutive fours in Ishant Sharma’s first over – a loft over covers and a slash past the short third man, Narine hit three sixes and two fours in his second. He launched a six over long off, pulled one to the deep square leg boundary, and sliced one to the extra cover boundary. Thereafter, he punished every single bowler who bowled at him.
DC vs KKR Highlights, IPL 2024
Then, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh burned the Delhi house of hope down to cinders.
Salt was fortunate that his outside edge went through wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s hands for four on the first ball of the match. The umpire mistakenly deemed it four byes.
He slashed at a delivery that the left-armer Khaleel Ahmed bowled across him – the ball had great carry. But the bounce on view for the first few balls turned out to be an aberration. Just like the swing Khaleel got in Delhi’s previous match versus Chennai Super Kings (CSK). On Wednesday, there was negligible swing in view for him.
For the rest of the innings, KKR was in a world of funhouse mirrors and flawed logic.
Delhi, in response, lost four wickets in the Powerplay itself. From 51 for four, Rishabh Pant took off. Pant (55, 25b, 4×4, 5×6) remarkably hit four fours and two sixes off a Venkatesh Iyer over that fetched Delhi 28 runs. He looked like he was carrying a niggle.
Tristan Stubbs came good for Delhi, scoring 54 off 32 balls with four fours and four sixes. He hit two sixes each off spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine.
