DC vs KKR Review: Kolkata record third straight win as they dismantle Delhi
Kolkata Knight Riders took on Delhi Capitals in Match 15 of the Indian Premier League 2024 at the ACA-VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam on March 3. KKR won the toss and elected to bat first. They were catapulted to 60 runs within the fifth over, courtesy of Sunil Narine (85 off 39) and Phil Salt (18 off 12). Angkrish Raghuvanshi (54 off 27) joined Narine and the duo stitched a 102-run partnership. Andre Russel (41 off 19) came all guns blazing at number four. Shreyas Iyer departed for 18 off 11 and Rinku Singh (26 off 8) catalyzed KKR’s assault. As a result, they posted a herculean 272/7 for DC to chase.
DC was provided an early blow by KKR with David Warner (18 off 13) and Prithvi Shaw (10 off 7) departing early. Mitchell Marsh and Abhishek Porel did not even trouble the scoreboard. Rishabh Pant (55 off 25) and Tristan Stubbs (54 off 32) tried breaking the shackle in the middle but the helpless lower order of DC failed as KKR thwarted them by 106 runs.
Top performers of the match
Sunil Narine (85 off 39)
Sunil Narine started the trend of making the T20 opener’s spot feel like a joystick game. He started hitting from the word go. He fetched 26 runs off the Ishant Sharma over at the start and then took Rasiq Salam to the cleaners in the last over of powerplay to reach 21-ball fifty. His 102-run partnership with Angkrish made KKR hold a tight grasp on the game. He smashed seven sixes and an equal number of boundaries.
Varun Chakravarthy (3 for 33)
Varun Chakravarthy was at his best owing to the condition of the pitch and had very less to offer spinners. He claimed the all-important wicket of marauding Pant who looked to capitalise in the middle overs. He then sent Axar Patel packing in the subsequent delivery, leaving DC with nothing to fight for. He then blew DC’s final hope by plucking well-set Stubbs’ wicket.
What’s next for both teams?
Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Chennai Super Kings in Match 22 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 8. Delhi Capitals will take on Mumbai Indians in Match 20 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 7.
