The Kolkata Knight Riders triumphed over Delhi Capitals by 14 runs in an exciting match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. After a blistering charge with the bat and a pivotal all-round contribution with the ball from Sunil Narine, KKR held onto their playoff ambitions with an important away victory over DC.
Narine Shines Bright in Knight Riders’ Win
For his tremendous all-round performance- blasting 27 from 16 and taking 3 for 29 in his four overs- Sunil Narine was named Player of the Match, and he was instrumental in tipping the balance of the game at key points in each innings.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to field first. Unfortunately for them, KKR feasted on the DC vernacular bowling. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (26 from 12) and Narine relentlessly scored in an explosive 79/1 Powerplay. Captain Ajinkya Rahane added 26 from 14 balls, and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi made crucial 44 off 32 balls on a slow surface.
A flurry of wickets at the end of the innings meant KKR were unable to maintain their momentum and lost wicket from 174/4 to 204/9. Rinku Singh made 36 (25) and Andre Russell made a quick 17 from 9 balls to pushed the visitors to over 200.
Mitchell Starc was the best bowler for DC with 3 wickets for 43 runs, and Axar Patel was crawling with 2 wickets for 27 runs.
Delhi’s Fight Falls Short Despite du Plessis’ Heroics
In reply, the Delhi Capitals had a rocky start. They lost Abishek Porel in the first over, leading to a pressure situation. Meanwhile, experience was shown in Faf du Plessis, who, after shaking off some early rust, batted brilliantly in scoring 62 off 45. He got great support from skipper Axar Patel who bludgeoned 43 off 23 balls. Unfortunately for the Delhi Capitals, their middle and lower order were not ready for this heat. Sunil Narine bowled an impressive over, first taking du Plessis’ wicket and then, on the second ball, taking Axar Patel. This brought DC to a dead stop.
Rookie Vipraj Nigam suddenly raised expectations with a valiant 38 off just 19 balls. However, good disciplined bowling and timely field placements collectively saw any hopes of good middle-order partnerships subdued. Varun Chakravarthy and Anukul Roy played their part too to take vital wickets.
Crucial Points and Strategic Challenges
Powerplay session reward: KKR’s 79/1 in powerplay helped but they still capitalized on their advantage.
Narine’s hat-trick: Narine took the wickets of du Plessis, Axar and Stubbs, which changed the direction of the game.
Fielding: Narine’s run out of KL Rahul was a significant moment in fielding.
Read More: 14-Year-Old Vaibhav Suryavanshi Smashes Second-Fastest IPL Century
KKR vs DC, 48th Match, IPL 2025, Delhi, April 29 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders 204/9
Angkrish Raghuvanshi 44 (32)
Rinku Singh 36 (25)
Sunil Narine 27 (16)
Mitchel Starc 3/43
Axar Patel 2/27
Vipraj Nigam 2/41
Delhi Capitals 190/9
Faf du Plessis 62 (45)
Axar Patel 43 (23)
Vipraj Nigam 38 (19)Sunil Narine 3/29
Varun Chakraborthy 2/39
Anukul Roy 1/27
Result: Kolkata Knight Riders won by 14 runs
Player of the Match: Sunil Narine (27 runs & 3 wickets)
