DC vs KKR Review – Delhi register their opening win in IPL 2023
Delhi Capitals outrightly dominated Kolkata Knight Riders to earn their first points in the IPL 2023. The David Warner-led DC won by four wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday, April 20.
KKR made four changes to their XI from the previous outing for the unversed. The side included the likes of Litton Das, Jason Roy, Kulwant Khejroliya, and Mandeep Singh in the setup for the clash. On the other hand, DC decided to field veteran pacer Ishant Sharma and Phil Salt as the wicketkeeper-batter.
Despite having made four major changes, KKR were dominated throughout the course of the match. Warner won the toss and elected to field first. Debutants Jason Roy and Litton Das opened for KKR but could only manage to get 15 runs between them as the latter headed back to the dugout for just four runs.
A disciplined bowling performance paid dividends for DC as they decked the middle order and reduced KKR to 70/6 in under 12 overs. Andre Russell failed to explode down the order but did hammer Mukesh Kumar in the final over for 19 runs to hand KKR a 128-run target. Meanwhile, Ishant, Kuldeep, Anrich Nortje, and Axar Patel got two wickets each to wrap up the innings.
David Warner swiftly hit the ground running in reply as he got the required boundaries to extend the domination. On the other hand, Impact Player Prithvi Shaw continued his lean patch as he was sent packing for 13 runs off 11 balls.
Warner hammered as many as 11 boundaries in his knock to get 57 off 41 balls. However, Varun Chakravarthy ended his stay on the crease to hand some respite. Nitish Rana’s decision to introduce spin worked wonders for the side as they mounted pressure on DC in the chase.
Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, and the skipper operated in tandem and struck twice each to keep DC reeling in the chase. Despite the fight back, Axar Patel steered his side to a win with four wickets remaining in the final over.
Top performers from the match
David Warner:
The Aussie southpaw clobbered runs right from the word go and did the bulk of scoring during the powerplay. DC got 61 runs in the first six overs, courtesy of Warner’s impressive start. Despite not getting much help from his teammates, Warner remained in command of his innings and scored his fifty off 33 balls. His knock included 11 boundaries before he was dismissed for 57 runs by Chakravarthy.
Ishant Sharma:
Marking his return after last playing in IPL 2021, the seasoned pacer returned an impressive bowling spell for DC. Ishant got two wickets to his name and gave mere 19 runs in his four overs in his successful comeback.
What’s next for both teams?
KKR meet Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, April 23 at home while DC next face Sunrisers Hyderabad away on April 24.
