IPL 2022 | DC vs KKR | Kuldeep’s 4-for derails KKR’s chase after DC put on mammoth total

Delhi Capitals' (DC) Kuldeep Yadav looked like a man on a mission against his former team. His four-wicket haul allowed DC to score a clinical victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Khaleel Ahmed too chipped in with three wickets as DC defeated KKR by 44 runs.

Put into bat by KKR, the Capitals posted a massive 215/5 in their quota of 20 overs. They were off to a flier, courtesy of some marvellous strokeplay displayed by Prithvi Shaw. After failing in his first match of IPL 2022, David Warner looked determined to make a statement on a belter of a pitch. Meanwhile, Shaw scored boundaries at will, with KKR bowlers assisting him with wayward bowling. Umesh Yadav retorted with a fierce bouncer, but it did not stop Shaw's clean striking.

Warner, too, joined the party, welcoming his compatriot, Pat Cummins, with consecutive boundaries in the 4th over. In search of a wicket to stop the onslaught, Shreyas Iyer introduced spin in the 5th over. But DC continued to pummel the bowlers and took 68 runs off the Powerplay.

Varun Chakravarthy castled Shaw with a well-directed googly soon after the latter reached his fifty. But his wicket did not change the momentum as captain Pant joined Warner in the middle.

However, after Russell bounced out Pant, KKR bowlers engaged in some damage control. They slowed down the scoring rate by picking wickets at regular intervals.

When DC looked to have squandered the foundation set by the top-order, Shardul Thakur turned the pendulum back in DC's favour. Thakur took on Umesh, who had not been used in the death overs in the previous matches. In a vital partnership with Axar Patel, Thakur ensured that KKR would have a mountain to climb.

In reply, KKR were off to a disastrous start as Venkatesh Iyer fell to Khaleel. Rahane had two DRS calls overturned, but luck did not favour him for long as Khaleel sent back both the openers.

The skipper was joined by Nitish Rana in the middle. The duo kept the scoreboard ticking, with Rana dealing in sixes whenever the opportunity arose. However, Rana's cameo of 30 (off 20 balls) ended as he hit a low full toss delivered by Lalit Yadav straight into the hands of the fielder stationed at long-on. 

Rana's wicket opened the floodgates as Kuldeep spun his magic. Shreyas Iyer sent Kuldeep over long-on to reach his fifty. But the left-arm chinaman had the last laugh as he foxed KKR's captain with a googly and had him stumped on the very next ball.

With the required run rate soaring, KKR's batters had no option but to attack. First, the chinaman trapped the last match's hero, Cummins, in front of the wicket. Then, he proceeded to send back Narine and Umesh off consecutive deliveries.

KKR's hopes laid on Russell, who could only watch wickets tumbling from the other end. Brilliant death over bowling by Mustafizur and Khaleel ensured a comprehensive victory for the Delhi Capitals.

This win has allowed DC to get their campaign back on track. KKR need to address their batting woes, especially in the top order. Though they have managed to hold on to the pole position on the points table, they'll be soon overtaken by LSG or RR.

Brief scores:

Delhi Capitals won by 44 runs

Delhi Capitals- 215/5

David Warner 61(45), Prithvi Shaw 51 (29), Shardul Thakur 29(11)

Sunil Narine 21/2

Kolkata Knight Riders-171/10

Shreyas Iyer 54(33)

Kuldeep Yadav 35/4, Khaleel Ahmed 25/3