Centurion: A clinical all round performance helped Delhi Daredevils (DD) start their Champions League T20 with a 52 runs victory over country rivals Kolkata Knights Riders (KKR) in Champions League T20 match here on Saturday.
In a format where every game is very important, losing by such a big margin might make things difficult for them if run-rate comes into consideration for the semi-finals qualification.
Batting first Daredevils piled up a competitive 160 on the board and then good bowling performance by their pacers helped them restrict the reigning IPL champions to 108-7.
KKR could not have got their chase off to a worse start as they lost two wickets in the first over of the innings to Irfan Pathan. Skipper Gautam Gambhir’s bad run with the bat continued and he chipped Pathan’s swinging delivery for an easy catch to the mid-on fielder. He was out for a first ball duck. The dangerous Bisla followed the suit and was caught plumb in front of the stumps by Pathan in the last ball of the first over.
Hardly had KKR recovered from these two huge wickets, that Brendan McCullum was out caught in the point in the second over.
Jacques Kallis also had to leave the field the in that over after he was hit on his finger with a rising Morne Morkel's delivery to worsen things for KKR in the middle.
With four players back in the pavilion, it brought Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan to the crease. They played well and started the damage control but then Yusuf could not stay for long and played Umesh Yadav’s delivery on to the stumps. Pathan scored 11, Rajat Bhatia joined Tiwary at the crease.
Bhatia and Tiwary made sure that they do not lose any further wickets and put on a 46 runs partnership for the fifth wicket. Tiwary however was out caught by Agarkar off his own bowling in the 15th over. He scored 33 off 38 deliveries and hit two fours and a six.
Bhatia also could stay for long after that and was out for an individual score 22 off 27 deliveries laced with a four and a six.
Yadav, Pathan and Morkel chipped in with two wickets apiece.
Earlier batting first, Daredevils started off cautiously but then lost three quick wickets and were reeling at 3-64 at the halfway stage.
KKR had things under their control till the 16th over but then all hell broke loose in the 17th over bowled by Laxmipathy Balaji. He was carted by 29 runs in that over by the duo of Unmukt Chand and Ross Taylor and it changed the complexion of the game.
Chand scored 40 off 27 deliveries including four boundaries and a couple of sixes whereas Taylor made 36 off 24 deliveries including a four and a couple of sixes and together put up a partnership of 63 for the fourth wicket.
Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for KKR with his figures of 3-21.
Delhi Daredevils 160 for 8 (Chand 40, Taylor 36, Narine 3-21) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 108 for 7 (Yadav 2-13, Irfan 2-19, Morkel 2-25) by 52 runs
By Indian Sports News Network