Andre Rusell’s fiery innings of 41 runs off 12 balls including 6 sixes and his match-changing partnership with Nitish Rana (59) of 61 runs, complemented by brilliant bowling spells from Sunil Narine (3/18) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/32) helped the Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Delhi Daredevils by 71 runs in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League on Monday (April 16).
After winning the toss, DD captain Gautam Gambhir invited the KKR to have a bat first. The KKR though, were up to the task and scored 200/9 in 20 overs. The Knight Riders were well in course for a few more but were restricted by Gambhir’s tactic of giving the last over to leg spinner Rahul Tewatia who conceded just a single off the last over and picked up 3 wickets.
In response, DD never really got going and after 14.2 overs were all out for just 129 runs. Only Rishabh Pant (43) and Glenn Maxwell (47) managed to put up some sort of a fight but departed just at the wrong time to half-trackers from Kuldeep Yadav. Had either of the two batsmen batted through the innings, things could have been a lot different, given their big hitting abilities.
None of other Delhi batsmen reached the double digit mark, as the Delhi batting lineup succumbed to scoreboard pressure. This marked KKR’s second win in 4 games and the third loss for the Daredevils in as many matches. Things have started to look gloomy for the Daredevils who are at Number 7 on the points tally, while the Knight Riders are comfortably placed at Number 2, both of them having played a game extra.
Nitish Rana, who came into spotlight after a decent run with the Mumbai Indians last season, was adjudged the player of the match for his knock of 59 off 35 balls studded with 5 fours and 4 sixes.
