Kolkata and Delhi faced each other in the 19th match of the ongoing season at the Brabourne Stadium in Pune. Both teams came into the game on the back of contrasting results in their previous games. The two-time winners came off an astonishing win against Mumbai. On the other hand, the 2020 finalists were beaten by Gujarat in a low-scoring game. The Shreyas Iyer-led side won the toss and elected to field first.
The decision started to prove horrendous as Warner and Shaw went on to concede 68 runs in the powerplay. Delhi openers, Prithvi Shaw (51) and David Warner stitched a partnership of 93 runs in 8.4 overs before the former was clean bowled by Varun Chakravarthy. Skipper Rishabh Pant played a cameo of 27 runs in 14 balls and added another 55 runs with Warner.
Lalit Yadav (1), who won the game for his side against Mumbai, couldn’t create any impact as he was trapped lbw by Sunil Narine. Warner was looking set to get his first hundred for the team after 2012 but was caught by Ajinkya Rahane off current purple cap holder Umesh Yadav at 61. Axar Patel (22* off 14) and Shardul Thakur (29*off 11) provided the finishing touches and took the team to 215/5. Notably, this is the highest team total in the ongoing season so far.
In reply, the Men in Purple and Gold openers Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane didn’t fare too well in their short stay at the crease. Iyer (18 off 8) started off brilliantly but his innings was cut short by Khaleel Ahmed. On the other hand, Rahane’s (8 off 14) struggle was ended by Thakur. At 38/2 in 4.4 overs, skipper Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana (30 off 20) stitched a partnership of 69 off 42 balls before the latter was caught at long-on by Shaw off Lalit Yadav.
Iyer (54 off 33) followed him in the next over as he was stumped by his counter part off Kuldeep Yadav. This proved to be turning point of the game as the team went from 117/4 to 143/8. The likes of Pat Cummins (4), Sam Billings (15), and Sunil Narine (4) couldn’t contribute to such a humongous chase. With only two wickets left in the game, Andre Russell (24 off 21) couldn’t do much and the team eventually lost the game by 45 runs.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Delhi’s win over Kolkata
Kuldeep Yadav was a liability for Kolkata since 2019. And now!
Confidence is/was the key @imkuldeep18 #KKRvsDC— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) April 10, 2022
Kuldeep Yadav Game changer @imkuldeep18 what a spell.. 💥💥💥💥 4 wickets ðŸ‘
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) April 10, 2022
Super pleased for @imkuldeep18 he has done everything to make this comeback possible. Glad @DelhiCapitals are giving him the opportunity to showcase his talent. The comeback wasn’t easy.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) April 10, 2022
Apart from those talented first timers in this ipl, the story for me is Kuldeep Yadav’s return. He is really good with his pace and spin variations. #DelhiCapitals
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 10, 2022
I think it’s high time Rahane is dropped from the squad of KKR
Chasing 215 when you score 15 balls 8 runs then you are not helping the team #KKRvsDC
— Sportzwire (@VJChelseaFC) April 10, 2022
Kuldeep Yadav bowling with control and picking up wickets is big boost for Delhi Capitals as also good news for India.
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 10, 2022
Absolutely independently turning the game around- bowling, catching all by himself ☄ï¸@imkuldeep18 #IPL2022 #KKRvDC
— Reema Malhotra (@ReemaMalhotra8) April 10, 2022
Great return for Delhi Capitals, after losing back to back matches, they have defeated table toppers Kolkata by 44 runs. #IPL2022
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 10, 2022
@imkuldeep18 That's the best caught and bowled ever. #KKRvsDC #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/2LRzhzwe7K
— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) April 10, 2022
Khaleel Ahmed has been impressive too. Pace with control. How many left armers we have who could bowl 140 consistently??
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 10, 2022
