Delhi Daredevils took on Kolkata Knight Riders in the 26th match of the IPL 2018 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi. The hosts were hoping for a revival under the new captain Shreyas Iyer and that’s indeed what they inflicted. It was a near perfect match for DD as they crushed KKR by a massive margin of 55 runs.
Having stepped down from the captaincy, Gautam Gambhir had to witness the action from the dug-out as he couldn’t find a place in the XI. Shreyas Iyer lost his first toss as the captain and the opposition skipper Dinesh Karthik asked his team to bat.
Openers laid the foundation
Unlike previous games, the DD openers had a decent beginning. The young sensation Prithvi Shaw showcased his class and caught everyone’s attention with some eye-catching strokes. Colin Munro too hit his stripes quickly and the scoring rate was high from the outset. Afte the powerplay, the duo took the score to 57 without loss.
Munro, who had shown ominous signs, was castled by Shivam Mavi in the 7th over for 33 off 18 balls. The captain Shreyas Iyer joined Shaw in the middle and from then on, it was the show of 2 young future prodigies for Indian cricket. While Shaw was beginning to find the ropes consistently, Iyer too didn’t waste much time in finding his touch.
A nice platform was set for a big score as DD reached 118/1 after 13 overs. Shaw became the youngest batsman to score an IPL fifty and was set to achieve more runs but his stay was cut short by Piyush Chawla as the opener departed after scoring 62 off 44 balls in the 14th over. Rishabh Pant walked in but got out off the first ball courtesy Andre Russell.
The belligerence of Shreyas Iyer
It was the time when Shreyas Iyer took the matters into his own hands. He went absolutely berserk and cleared the ropes at regular intervals. Glenn Maxwell supported him well but got run out in the last over for 27. But in the same over, Iyer collected 29 runs that included 4 sixes and a four. He finished unbeaten at 93 from just 40 balls with 10 sixes and 3 fours as DD achieved a massive score of 219/4 after 20 overs.
In reply, Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine walked out to open for KKR with the mindset of going after the bowlers. Iyer pulled off a masterstroke by introducing Maxwell to bowl the second over that resulted in the wicket of Lynn for just 5. It went from bad to worse as Trent Boult accounted for the wickets of Robin Uthappa and Narine in the next over. Nitish Rana too didn’t last long and fell prey to Avesh Khan as the visitors were left reeling at 51/4 after 6 overs.
DD overcame Andre Russell’s threat
Karthik hung in there for a while but he was removed by Amit Mishra for 18 in the 10th over. KKR needed 137 runs from the last 10 overs which appeared too far at the halfway stage. But you can’t rule the side out until Andre Russell is back in the hut. The Caribbean all-rounder came into his own pretty early and played in his usual demeanor.
He brought life back to the match by smashing a few big ones. Shubman Gill gave him good company as the duo kept the side in the hunt. After 15 overs, the score read 140/5 and even though the equation was in favor of the hosts, Russell’s presence kept everyone at the edge of their seats. The 16th over proved to be the decisive one for DD as Gill and Mavi got dismissed and Mishra conceded just one run.
Russell tried his best but having no support from the other end didn’t help his cause. In trying to farm the strike in the last few overs, the pressure of striking every ball got to him and he was removed by Avesh Khan for 44 in the 18th over. Maxwell scalped Piyush Chawla in the penultimate over and ultimately, KKR were restricted to 164/9.
Match Summary
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl first
Delhi Daredevils: 219/4 in 20 overs
Shreyas Iyer 93* (40), Prithvi Shaw 62 (44)
Andre Russell 28/1 (3), Piyush Chawla 33/1 (4)
Kolkata Knight Riders: 164/9 in 20 overs
Andre Russell 44 (30), Shubman Gill 37 (29)
Glenn Maxwell 22/2 (2), Amit Mishra 23/2 (4)
Delhi Daredevils won by 55 runs
Player of the Match: Shreyas Iyer
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