KKR vs DD match of 28th April 2022
And so ends a rather weird and bizarre contest but one that had its fair share of excitement nonetheless. We should be in for a cracker tomorrow with the Punjab Kings taking on the Lucknow Super Giants in Pune. It's Mayank Agarwal up against his good friend KL Rahul and to add further context, it's KL Rahul up against the side he captained just as recently as six months ago. You don't want to miss out on this now, do you? Do join us for our coverage of that game at the same time here on Sportskeeda, while keeping yourselves up to date with all the other cricketing news and action from across the globe on this very platform. Thank you so much for tuning into our coverage of this contest - on behalf of my good friend and co-commentator Shashwat Kumar, this is Sooryanarayanan Sesha once again reminding you to mask up and get vaccinated in case you haven't already. Good night, take care and see you tomorrow!
Four wins for DC, four Player of the Match awards for Kuldeep Yadav. He's well and truly on a role and whether he wins the Purple Cap or not, he's surely in the midst of a purple patch alright! The Capitals needed this win and with an equal number of wins and losses, they will be hoping they can increase the number of Ws against their name in the coming games. They are yet to win two on the trot this season but they will hope that it comes when they take on the Lucknow Super Giants at this very venue come the afternoon of Sunday (May 1). As for KKR, they've now lost five on the bounce and their campaign is reaching a deadlock. More questions than ever, more answers to be sought and it's turning pear-shaped for the Knights. They too, return to this very venue to play the Rajasthan Royals on Monday (May 2) and they desperately need to sort their combination right before the same.
Surprise Surprise! Kuldeep Yadav is the Player of the Match for returns of 4/14 off 3 overs!
Hear from the man himself: I've become mentally stronger than before because when you fail in life, you pick up what you can improve upon. The biggest thing for me is that I've become mentally stronger while bowling. I don't fear failure as much now. I liked both the wickets (of Russell and Narine). I liked Russell's a lot more since I set him up well. I first went around the wicket and then came over the wicket and went back around the wicket again. After a couple of dots I knew he would come after me. Definitely my best IPL since I'm enjoying my bowling and am very clear with my bowling. I am able to guess what the batters will do. I've been backing my skills. The odd delivery does go wrong but that's how T20 is as a format. When you get a couple of wickets early it makes you confident. (On the catch Pant took) I thought there was bat involved but I thought it hit the ground later on. When Rishabh took that catch I felt maybe it was out. Shreyas' wicket was a big one at that time. I've never felt it's been a competition with him (Yuzvendra Chahal). He's like an elder brother and when I was injured he supported me a lot. From the bottom of my heart I want him to win the Purple Cap this year.
Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals Captain): (Was he nervous at 80/5?) We were, because we lost too many wickets in the middle. But at the same time we felt if we could take it deep we might cross the line since there weren't a lot of runs to score. (Are they sure of their team combination now?) It's good to have Marsh back. I haven't thought about it 100 percent but because Khaleel got injured in the last game that was a forced change we had to make. Once he's back I think we'll be sure. (On that catch he took to dismiss Shreyas Iyer) I think it was one of the best catches I've taken in the season I guess. (On Rovman Powell) Most of the time we want to give him a certain number of overs (to play) but in these situations when you lose too many wickets he has to come up. We have given him the finisher role and he has done well. We are not thinking about the points table right now - we just want to take it one match at a time and give our 100 percent. We can be more clear with our plans. Those one or two extra boundaries can be the difference in the end. We can show more energy in the field I guess. (On not bowling the last over of Kuldeep) I wanted to give him an over from one end but then we thought he would get the over from the other end. Then the ball started to get wet so we went to the fast-bowlers. I wanted to change the pace of the match so I brought the fast-bowler on. It didn't work today but that's part and parcel of the game.
Rovman Powell (Delhi Capitals): (Plans with Shardul Thakur) At the start (of the 19th over) we wanted us to finish it within three balls. Shreyas was a part-timer and we wanted to finish it in the first three balls but it was unfortunate I had to do it (laughs). It was a wicket where you need that extra 5 or 7 balls to get yourself in. You couldn't play a lot of horizontal shots but it was a pretty good wicket, there wasn't a lot of spin in it. We felt 146 was short but we wanted to keep wickets. Once we got to 40-50 for two wickets in the Powerplay we could carry forward. I know I am in good form so I have to keep trusting myself. It's a feel good factor - a lot of bases have been covered. It's just for us now to put the pieces together. Whatever team Ricky (Ponting) and the captain put on the park is absolutely competitive.
Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders Captain): We started off really slow. We lost a couple of wickets up ahead. The wicket was holding a bit in the start. I feel our total was a little low on this pitch. There are no excuses for it. We need to go back and assess what we do. It's been really difficult because we have not been able to set the right opening pair. Really difficult to have a stable batting line-up. When you are playing this league, you need to have the right combination. I think we need to stick with what we have and play some fearless cricket, not be conservative in our decision-making. I think we need to tell them to stop thinking about the performances in the past, start afresh and back your instincts, and think about what you can do. Even if you are over confident, it is fine. (On Umesh) He started off pretty well. He went for 11 runs and the momentum shifted towards DC a little but he has been someone who has been giving special moments this season. He is always ready to do something brilliant.
Kolkata Knight Riders 146/9 in 20 overs (Nitish 57 off 34, Kuldeep Yadav 4/14 off 3 overs) lose to Delhi Capitals 150/6 in 19 overs (David Warner 42 off 26, Umesh Yadav 3/24 off 4 overs)
Welcome to bizarro world folks! This is where a no-contest masquerades as a thriller and keeps us at the edge of our seats, only for the inevitable to eventually transpire. That's exactly what happened tonight as well - it was really absurd as far as some of the decision making was concerned!
Kolkata Knight Riders' team combination and the Delhi Capitals' bowling changes in the first innings added enough absurdity to this contest. More was to follow though - of course, take nothing away from Umesh Yadav who bowled his heart out, as did debutant Harshit Rana. A spectacular return catch from the former saw Prithvi Shaw depart first ball before the latter prized out Mitchell Marsh.
Lalit Yadav was promoted up the order and even as he took quite some time to see himself in, David Warner continued to bat like a million dollars at the other end. With Warner steering the ship, the Capitals were in complete control and were cruising towards the finish line.
That was when Umesh returned to break open the contest. A sharp bouncer got Warner pulling to deep backward square leg while Rishabh Pant had a loose waft from his crease. In between the two, Sunil Narine trapped Lalit Yadav in front to throw a spanner into the works of the chase.
Axar Patel then kept the scoreboard ticking as the Capitals had some rebuilding to do. Even as he tore into Andre Russell, a needless second run saw him fall short of his crease despite a dive and that meant KKR just about remained in the game. But as long as Rovman Powell was out there, DC were in control and with a couple of lusty blows, the burly Jamaican sealed the deal for his side.
That said, this game will be remembered for just how bizarre some of the decision making was from both sides. For some reason, Shreyas Iyer turned to Nitish Rana to bowl at Lalit and Warner when wickets were the need of the hour. And with 30 needed off the last four overs, Venkatesh Iyer was brought on and if anything, that only released the pressure on the Capitals who then closed out the contest. It was weird for many reasons tonight at the Wankhede Stadium!
He couldn't do it in the last game when 36 was needed off the final over but it's Rovman Powell who seals the deal with a booming hit over wide long on. Delhi Capitals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets with an over to spare!
