IPL 10: Match 18, Who Said What: Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders

The 18th match of the IPL was eventful one between the host Delhi Daredevils and the second-placed side in the IPL table Kolkata Knight Riders. It was a treat for T20 lovers as the match went down to the wire. In the end, it was the visitors who held their nerves and gathered two important points to stay on top of the table. Zaheer Khan won the toss and elected to field first. All the batsmen in the side played their part by giving starts but no one stood out to make a big contribution.

Samson and Rishabh Pant, yet again, were the standout performers with the bat for their side as they scored 39 and 38 respectively. Morris played a vital cameo to propel the score towards a competitive total of 168. However, the highlight of the innings arrived at the 17th over of the match as Rishab Pant took Umesh Yadav to the cleaners by smashing 26 runs in the over, which comprised of three majestic sixes and a couple of screaming boundaries. Amongst the bowlers, Perth scorchers star Nathan Coulter-Nile justified his price tag this season against his former team in the IPL by taking three important wickets at an economy of just five and a half per over.

Kolkata Knight Riders would have been shell shocked after seeing the scorecard of their side by the end of three overs. Zaheer Khan and Pat Cummins reduced the visitors to 21-3 before the completion of 3 overs, by dismissing Gautham Gambhir, Grandhomme and Uthappa. With their team staring at a humiliating defeat, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan stitched a match-winning partnership of 110 runs off just 72 balls by counter-attacking the Delhi bowlers. Yusuf Pathan brought up his first half-century of the tournament while scoring his decisive knock of 59 off 38 balls at a strike rate of 155.26.

In the end, it was a treat for T20 lovers as the match went down to the wire. Daredevils could not restrict the visitors even with 8 needed off the last three deliveries. Pandey took it upon himself to finish the game for his side as he hit Mishra over long-on to seal the victory for his side. Nathan Coulter-Nile was adjudged as the man of the match for his incredible bowling.

Nathan Coulter-Nile

The allrounder from Perth Scorchers specified that hitting balls at the right areas did the trick in today’s match, He also praised the curator for his work while stating that the surface held together perfectly throughout the match. The ex-Delhi Daredevil player also commented that he was lucky with the execution of his slower balls as he hasn’t practised much in the nets.

I thought it might break up a bit more than it did. Credit to the curator, it held together really well. I try and bowl my good balls and hit the right areas I need to hit, the pitch hopefully doesn’t play too much into the opposition hands. I just try and do what I do. Haven’t bowled too many (slower balls) in the nets, but it came out alright.

Gautam Gambhir

The KKR skipper credited the efforts of Yusuf Pathan and Manish Pandey which resurrected the innings of the visitors. He also lauded the maturity of Manish Pandey. Gambhir also stated that with the lights on, the ball came on to the bat more in comparison to the afternoon,

All well that ends well. Especially after losing three wickets in the first three overs and then chasing a score of 169 against a attack like Delhi, lot of credit needs to go to Manish and Yusuf. That partnership got us going, before that there was no momentum in our innings. The way Manish batted was very very sensible on his part. Beautiful wicket, always thought 160 was chase-able and it would get better chasing under lights. Touch slower when the lights weren’t on but we knew once the lights came on, it would come onto the bat and that’s what happened.

Gambhir did not mind losing the Orange Cap to Manish Pandey. He went and ahead and remarked that if he continues to bat the way he is, he’ll remain the owner of the Orange Cap.

We took the heavy roller and it flattened out the wicket even more. If our freshers can bat sensibly then Yusuf we know is a finisher, the way he was batting today against this kind of a wicket is great signs for us. I have always maintained the Orange Cup does not matter. It’s how many points do we have on the table. Ultimately in a team sport it’s not about individuals and Manish deserves it. He can have it as long as he wants. If he keeps batting the way he is doing, he will be the owner of the Orange Cap

The Knight Riders sit pretty on top of the table with 8 points with only one defeat in 5 games while Daredevils are currently at the 4th position with 4 points with a game in hand. Delhi Daredevil are set to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday whereas KKR meets the Mumbai Indians the next day at Indore.