IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals, 47th Match - Who Said What?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens on Monday, April 29. DC captain Rishabh Pant failed to take advantage of winning the toss as he elected to bat first at a venue that historically favours the chasing team. KKR's pacers got off to a flying start and their spinners carried the momentum forward.

The fast bowlers removed the Capitals' top four and then Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine spun the web around their middle and lower middle order. Kuldeep Yadav’s 35* off 26 helped them to reach a decent total of 153, but it was never going to be enough against the home side.

This time, Narine the batter was a spectator at the other end as Phil Salt (68 off 33) was going berserk in the powerplay. He took the DC bowlers to the cleaners and set the tone for a comprehensive win in the first six overs. DC managed to take three wickets in the process, but Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer helped KKR to cross the finish line with more than three overs remaining.

Also Read: 3 Changes Delhi Capitals should make to get back to winning ways

1. Another expensive outing for expensive Starc, but managed to get rid of dangerous Fraser-McGurk

Mitchell Starc conceded 15 runs in his first over of the innings as Prithvi Shaw smashed him for three boundaries. However, the left-arm quick managed to get the big wicket of dangerous Jake Fraser-McGurk in his second over. The most expensive player in IPL history finished with an economy of 14.30 in his three overs, but the wickets of his compatriot proved to be crucial in KKR’s win. 

2. Varun Chakravarthy shines with match-winning 3/16

Known for his mystery spin, Varun Chakravarthy displayed his prowess effectively against the DC middle order. KKR pacers set the tone early in the innings and the right-arm spinner did not hesitate to take advantage of it. Including the crucial wickets of DC skipper Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs, Chakravarthy grabbed three wickets to win the POTM award.

3. Phil Salt made the chase look like a cakewalk

Defending a below-par target of 154, DC bowlers had to grab early wickets. But English opener Philip Salt dashed all their hopes from the start. The devastating batter tore through the DC bowlers and made the game one-sided in the first six overs itself. He departed in the ninth over but contributed 68 off just 33 deliveries.

Also Check: Kolkata Knight Riders' 2nd Innings Highlights against DC in Match 47

Losing captain Rishabh Pant said:

“It was a good option to bat first. As a batting unit we didn't bat well, 150 was below par with how things were going. But we learn from our mistakes, every day is not your day. The way we were going as a team was nice (winning 4 out of their last 5 games), but these games come along in T20s. I think anything around 180-210 would have been a good score, we didn't give our bowlers enough runs to defend.”

Winning skipper Shreyas Iyer said:

“Not at all. Considering the last few matches, 200 was a par score. After the powerplay the pitch started helping the spinners, was tacky. We got a fair idea as to how it played and to tackle the tackiness. Narine still does not attend those meetings but Salt is always there, gives us his inputs and it's pure bliss to see him coming up and doing all this. He doesn't. I would not recommend him to come either. [on Chakaravarthy] He has been assessing the wicket and has been giving us inputs. The way he performed today was brilliant. We have always been looking at it, even from the first game. The mindset is to qualify as early as possible. Just work on our work ethic and processes, don't want to look at the points table.”

POTM Varun Chakaravarthy said:

“It was holding a bit, as the game progressed in the 2nd innings, it was turning as well. Nothing like that, when the catch was dropped, I felt that was a better ball, and the one I got him, on other grounds, it would have gone for a six. Cricket has become a game of little margins. I liked Tristan Stubbs' wicket. I planned to bowl the leg spinner to him and it worked out. Silence. When something doesn't work for me, he is always there. In the last game after conceding so many runs, it was a tough pill to take but the whole team motivated us. Abhishek Nayar and even Shahrukh Khan came and spoke to me, definitely motivated us.”