Kuldeep Yadav bagged a four-for as Delhi Capitals defeated table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders by 44 runs in their Indian Premier League 2022 clash at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.
Half-centuries by Prithvi Shaw and David Warner helped DC post a mammoth 215/5 after being asked to bat first. In reply, KKR were bowled-out for 171 in 19.4 overs after a 33-ball 54 by skipper Shreyas Iyer.
Kolkata lost the wickets of openers Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane early before Iyer and Nitish Rana (30) added a 69-run partnership. But the table-toppers kept losing consistently from there on as Kuldeep delivered a memorable spell of 4/35, picking three wickets in his last over.
The left-arm wrist spinner got turn and wasn’t afraid to toss the ball. He picked the wickets of Iyer, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav to put the breaks on KKR’s chase.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals progressed to post the highest total this season thanks to an explosive batting performance from openers Shaw (51) and Warner (61) in a 93-run opening partnership which saw some listless bowling by Kolkata Knight Riders.
Following Shaw’s dismissal soon after his half-century, captain Rishabh Pant contributed with a breezy 14-ball 27 cameo. KKR were able to manage a semblance of control in the middle overs, after picking up the wickets of Pant, Lalit Yadav (8) and Rovman Powell (1) and Warner in quick succession.
The final flourish provided by Axar Patel (22) and Shardul Thakur (29) made the mammoth 216-run target inevitable with 39 runs scored off the last 12 deliveries bowled by Umesh Yadav and Pat Cummins. In the high-scoring first innings, with nearly all KKR bowlers who bowled their quota of four overs leaking over 11 runs an over, Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers with figures 2/21.
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