Sunil Narine’s all-round brilliance and a solid start from the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) top-order helped the defending champions seal a crucial 14-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The win keeps KKR firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot in IPL 2025, while DC suffered their second consecutive defeat, further denting their confidence and campaign.
Asked to bat first, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side posted a competitive total of 204 for 9. Despite a middle-order collapse, KKR got off to a blistering start as openers Sunil Narine (27) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (26) stitched together the team’s highest opening stand of the season — 48 runs in just 17 deliveries. Narine was particularly destructive, taking apart Dushmantha Chameera for 25 runs in a single over, including two sixes and a one-handed swipe over midwicket.
Gurbaz followed suit with a flurry of boundaries against Mitchell Starc before edging one to Abhishek Porel in the third over. Captain Rahane (26) kept the tempo high with some stylish strokes, taking KKR to 79/1 at the end of the powerplay. However, the momentum shifted as Delhi’s spinners clawed their way back. Vipraj Nigam (2/41) trapped Narine LBW, while Axar Patel struck twice in quick succession to remove Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer (7), leaving KKR at 117/4 after 10 overs.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44) and Rinku Singh (36) attempted to revive the innings, putting together a 61-run partnership. Raghuvanshi showcased his potential with two big sixes off Nigam, while Rinku went after Kuldeep Yadav in a productive over. Andre Russell’s cameo — two boundaries and a six — helped push the total past 200. However, a late collapse saw KKR lose three wickets in as many balls, with Starc finishing strong by picking two in his final over.
In reply, Delhi’s chase never really took off. Opener Abhishek Porel was dismissed early for 4, while Faf du Plessis top-scored with a well-compiled 62 off 45 balls. Narine, continuing his stellar outing, removed the dangerous du Plessis, while Anukul Roy sent back Porel.
The middle-order failed to offer resistance — Karun Nair (15) and KL Rahul (7) both fell cheaply. Captain Axar Patel fought hard with a quickfire 43 off 23 balls, keeping DC in the game. At one stage, they needed 45 runs from 17 balls, with Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh Sharma at the crease. But Varun Chakaravarthy struck twice, removing both Ashutosh (7) and Mitchell Starc in quick succession.
With 25 needed from the final over, Russell held his nerve, conceding just 10 runs and picking up a wicket to seal a vital win for KKR. KKR will now face the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for their next clash, which is scheduled to take place on May 4 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.