IPL 2024, KKR vs DC, Key Takeaways: Phill Salt's 68 and Varun Chakravarthy's 3-16 help KKR beat Delhi Capitals. KKR remain at no. 2 and Delhi at 6. Top takeaways for KKR and Delhi Capitals from the match.
Brief Scores: DC 153/9 (Kuldeep Yadav 34*, Rishabh Pant 27, Varun Chakravarthy 3/16) lost to KKR 157/3 ( Phil Salt 68, Shreyas Iyer 33*, Axar Patel 2/25) by 7 wickets.
Player of the Match: Varun Chakravarthy (3-16)
A rejuvenated Delhi Capitals (DC) took on the hosts Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens. While DC won four of their last five matches, KKR is coming off a defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings at the same venue.
In the previous instance, these sides met earlier in the tourney, KKR blanked the Capitals by 106 runs.
Opting to bat, DC couldn’t get on a surprisingly spinners-friendly track at Kolkata. None of their batters got going, as Varun Chakravarthy’s 3/16 helped KKR restrict them to a paltry 153/9.
Thanks to a rapid start by opener Phil Salt, KKR stormed home by 7 wickets with 21 balls to spare and jumped to second position.
Key Takeaways from KKR vs DC, Match 47, Winning Team (KKR)
Spinners made the most of the conditions; pacers supported well
This IPL has seen teams score over 200 plus in almost every passing day, and it was a norm at Eden Gardens. But today’s game saw the pitch aiding bowlers, especially spinners, in a refreshing change. The spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy took advantage of this by not just stemming the flow of runs but also providing timely breakthroughs. Together, they conceded just 40 runs, picking four wickets between them.
However, the pacers Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora set the initial tone for the bowling innings, scalping four each.
Read More: IPL 2024, DC vs MI, Key Takeaways: DC beat MI by 10 runs in high-scoring affair, reach no. 5
Phil Salt shines again for KKR
If Sunil Narine had taken this IPL by storm with the bat, his opening partner, Phil Salt, would not have been far behind in impacting the order.
The right-hander from England had already scored 338 runs in innings thus far at an incredible strike rate of over 179 and combined his rich vein of form in this game.
With Narine having one of his off days, Salt took the attack to the opposition with another impactful knock of 33-ball 68. This allowed KKR to achieve the target of 154 in just the 17th over.
Key Takeaways from KKR vs DC, Match 47, Losing Team (DC)
Rishabh Pant should continue to bat up the order and shouldn’t experiment much
DC skipper Pant has been the best batter for the team in his return IPL season. He is their highest run-scorer in this league, having scored 398 runs in 11 innings with a remarkable strike rate of 158. Though he did show some rustiness early on, Pant has come all guns blazing in recent games.
But the fact that he is coming lowers the order for one’s liking. In this game, the left-hander batted at No.5, just after a batting collapse, whereas his ideal batting slot is at four.
He should continue to bat there as DC’s best batter, giving the team the best opportunity to score more runs.
Read More: IPL 2024, DC vs GT, Key Takeaways: Miller, Rashid's knocks pale in front of Rishabh's 88*; DC Win
Statistical highlights from KKR vs DC, Match 47
In all T20s, Rishabh Pant has accumulated 52 runs against Sunil Narine but maintains a lowly strike rate of 110.6, having faced 47 balls. However, Pant hasn’t lost his wicket even once in the format to Narine.
This is the third time Pant has fallen to mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in T20s. Chakravarthy has bowled 30 balls to the former, conceding just 31 runs.
Tristan Stubbs got out to Chakravarthy for the second time in as many games in the season. Overall, he scored 27 runs against the spinner while facing 17 deliveries.(
Kuldeep Yadav recorded his highest T20 score of 34* in this game and scored the most runs for DC on the day.
Points Table Scenario and what’s next to come
With 10 points after 1 game, DC's fate in the tournament hangs in the balance. They should win the remaining games to put themselves in contention for a playoff spot. DC next faces Rajasthan Royals at home on May 7.
KKR is back to winning ways, reclaiming their second slot in the table with six wins in nine games. The men in purple face the Mumbai Indians on May 3 at Wankhede.
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