Join table-toppers Delhi Capitals have struggled in the past number of years when it comes to slow tracks and pitches, but they found it difficult to restrict the Kolkata Knight Riders as they lost the game by 3 wickets. The winning streak of the KKR continues as they win four consecutive matches in the second leg now sitting on the fourth spot in the points table.
The start from Delhi Capitals was phenomenal as Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan contributed big as the middle order lineup got dislodged completely by the KKR bowling unit with the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee all picking up important wickets who get them to a score of 127-9 at the end of their innings. It helped the opposition bowlers to their advantage. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders chased down the target in 18 overs as Nitesh Rana played a special knock of 36 runs to sail his team past Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets and also can ensure a place in the playoffs.
Match 41. It's all over! Kolkata Knight Riders won by 3 wickets https://t.co/jHZGSZ2Ha8 #KKRvDC #VIVOIPL #IPL2021
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 28, 2021
It was the table joint toppers Delhi Capitals who were sent to bat first by Morgan’s men after they elected to field first. Delhi Capitals were looking to capitalise on the same performance as they looked to dominate the KKR’s bowling unit in a pitch where a history of high scores have been posted and successfully been defended. The opening partnership of Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith started well in the opening overs of the game. Soon they got their first wicket, as Dhawan was soon sent back to the pavilion by Lockie Forguson as he mistimed his shot-making it easy for Venkatesh Iyer to catch as he was out for 24 runs. Just after the powerplay, KKR got the all-important wicket of Shreyas Iyer getting dismissed by Sunil Narine for just a single run. Steve Smith showed some classic shots as he continued to bash the bowling unit. Later on the 12th over, Smith was dismissed by slow ball by Ferguson as his bat got a fine edge and got beaten by stumps by scoring 39 runs. Surprisingly after that, Venkatesh Iyer struck for his first wicket as he dispatched Shimron Hetmyer and Axar Patel in quick succession. The entire middle order got collapsed as they ended up scoring only 127-9 in their 20 overs.
On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders got to a relatively slow start as Venkatesh Iyer struggled to play the bowlers as he got out for just 14 runs but Shubman Gill kept scoring as he hit 2 sixes and a boundary to keep the chase alive. They soon got the big wicket of Rahul Tripathi as Avesh Khan bowled a perfect ball only to get an edge taken by Steve Smith for just 9 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders were in big trouble as Shubman Gill was also dismissed by Kagiso Rabada as he mistimed his shot only for a simple catch by Shreyas Iyer. The poor form of their captain Morgan continues as he was dismissed for a silver duck by Ravichandran Ashwin. There were small contributions made by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik and Sunil Narine as they comfortable then made their team past Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets, with the help of Nitish Rana who was not out for 36 runs at the end of the game. The Purple army has won four games in a row has had a big chance to qualify for the playoffs.
The man of the match should be given to Nitesh Rana as he was very calm and comfortable in his batting strength as he built a few partnerships to make his team beat Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets, as he stayed in the crease by scoring 36 runs and played a vital role in their victory. For the captain, Rishabh Pant, they failed to execute their middle order as they will look to bounce back in the next game hopefully confirming their qualification for the playoffs.
