Kolkata, May 25: Delhi Capitals secured a 40-run victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their final league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
In the first match of the day, Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians by 30 runs, clinching the last playoff spot. Consequently, the second match became a contest for pride.
Batting first at Eden Gardens after losing the toss, Delhi Capitals posted a total of 203 runs, losing 5 wickets. The opening pair provided a solid start, with Abhishek Porel and KL Rahul forming a partnership of 40 runs off 27 balls for the first wicket.
Abhishek scored 22 runs off 18 balls, hitting 4 boundaries before getting out. Following him, Sahil Parakh partnered with KL Rahul to add 47 runs for the second wicket off 30 balls, bringing the score to 87. Sahil scored 24 runs off 17 balls, including 1 six and 3 fours. KL Rahul then joined forces with captain Axar Patel, adding 38 runs for the third wicket in just 19 balls. Rahul’s explosive innings saw him score 60 runs off 30 balls, featuring 4 sixes and 5 fours.
Delhi lost 3 wickets for 125 runs, but Axar Patel and David Miller’s partnership of 41 runs off 25 balls propelled the team to a formidable total. Axar scored 39 runs off 25 balls before returning to the pavilion, while Miller contributed 28 runs off 19 balls.
For KKR, Saurabh Dubey took the most wickets, claiming 2, while Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy each took 1 wicket.
Chasing a massive target, KKR collapsed for just 163 runs in 18.4 overs. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen provided a promising start, adding 43 runs in 4.3 overs. Allen scored 20 runs off 13 balls with 4 boundaries before departing. Rahane then partnered with Manish Pandey to add 44 runs for the second wicket, reaching a score of 87. Pandey scored 25 runs off 16 balls.
Rahane later formed a 32-run partnership with Rovman Powell for the fourth wicket, scoring 63 runs off 39 balls, including 4 sixes and 4 fours. KKR lost their fourth wicket at 128 runs when Rahane was dismissed. Kuldeep Yadav then took Rinku Singh’s wicket on the next ball, narrowly missing a hat-trick. Powell contributed 29 runs off 21 balls but couldn’t lead the team to victory.
Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi each took 3 wickets for the opposition, while Mitchell Starc claimed 2.
Delhi Capitals finished their campaign in sixth place, winning 7 out of 14 matches, while KKR ended in seventh place with 6 wins.
Leave a Comment