Kolkata Knight Riders team delivered a stunning performance with both bat and ball as they crushed Delhi Capitals by 106 runs, propelling themselves to the summit of the IPL table on Wednesday.
Sunil Narine showcased his batting prowess with a blistering 85 runs, while teenager Angkrish Raghuvanshi impressed with a fluent half-century on his IPL batting debut, contributing to KKR’s imposing total of 272/7, just five runs shy of the tournament’s highest ever.
The Capitals struggled throughout the match, failing to cope with the pressure of the mammoth total set by KKR. Despite Skipper Rishabh Pant’s valiant 55 and Tristan Stubbs’ fifty, Delhi folded for 166 in 17.2 overs, suffering their third loss of the season.
Narine was unstoppable, punishing every Delhi bowler with seven boundaries and seven sixes in his 39-ball innings. He capitalised on a dropped catch when he was on 53, achieving his highest-ever T20 score.
Raghuvanshi, who missed out on batting in his debut match, showcased his potential with a quickfire 54 off 27 balls, forming a destructive 104-run partnership with Narine.
With contributions from Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, KKR’s batting lineup made scoring look effortless.
In the bowling department, Vaibhav Arora and Mitchell Starc dismantled Delhi’s top order in the powerplay itself, setting the stage for KKR’s dominant victory.
Delhi’s bowlers had a forgettable outing, conceding the highest total in the team’s history, with KKR hitting 18 sixes and 28 fours.
Narine’s assault began early, with his boundary spree against Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma setting the tone for KKR’s onslaught.
Despite a brief moment of hope for Delhi when they dismissed Narine and Raghuvanshi in consecutive overs, Russell’s onslaught dashed any chances of a comeback, sealing KKR’s comprehensive win. (With inputs from PTI)
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals: 166 all out in 17.2 overs (Rishabh Pant 55, Tristan Stubbs 54; Vaibhav Arora 4/27, Varun Chakaravarthy 4/33)
Kolkata Knight Riders: 272/7 in 20 overs (Sunil Narine 85, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 54, Andre Russell 41; Anrich Nortje 3/59)
