Our return to the Qila Kotla could not be more special for our boys as David Warner and Co. put on a brilliant team performance against Kolkata Knight Riders to roar to our first win of the TATA Indian Premier League 2023.
The match was delayed due to rain, but our DC Toli waited out the showers patiently. A huge cheer echoed around Qila Kotla as it was announced that the match would go ahead without any reduction of overs.
Our skipper David Warner called it right at the coin toss and elected to bowl first. Our WPL stars, Taniyaa Bhatia, Shikha Pandey, and Shafali Verma were present at Qila Kotla to support the boys!
The ‘Quicks’ Get Us Off To A Flyer:
The pace bowlers backed up the skipper’s decision and picked up three quick wickets to reduce KKR to 35/3 by the end of the powerplay.
Mukesh Kumar got the ball rolling after picking up KKR debutant Litton Das with the final ball of the second over. Anrich Nortje removed Venkatesh Iyer, the opposition’s centurion from the last match, while Ishant Sharma accounted for Kolkata Captain Nitish Rana.
Axar Patel Piles On The Pressure:
Even with the spinners on, there was no response from the KKR batters as our spin bowlers made it difficult for them to score.
Axar Patel, meanwhile, inflicted further damage to the visitors’ batting line-up, first rattling Mandeep Singh’s stumps and then forcing the dangerous Rinku Singh to play one down the throat of Lalit Yadav at deep square leg.
A Dream Comeback For Ishant:
Our local hero Ishant Sharma, playing his first IPL match since 2021, sent Sunil Narine packing with his final over. He ended his spell with incredible figures of 2/19 from his four overs.
Kuldeep Yadav Spins A Web:
As wickets tumbled at the other end, opener Jason Roy, making his KKR debut, kept the scoreboard ticking. The resistance from the Englishman, however, finally ended at the hands of Kuldeep Yadav.
After troubling Roy with a sequence of intelligent deliveries, our ace spinner finally outfoxed the troublesome opener and had him caught at backward square. Kuldeep doubled his wickets count in the very next delivery and removed KKR’s Impact Player, Anukul Yadav from the crease.
KKR eventually were bowled out for 127, courtesy of a late flurry by Andre Russell.
David Warner Leads The Chase From The Front:
While Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh and debutant Phil Salt were dismissed early into our innings, our skipper David Warner kept the KKR bowling attack under pressure by scoring freely. The Australian ace brought up his 50, his fourth half-century of the season, in 33 deliveries.
Warner departed for 57 but not before setting up a solid platform for our team.
A Nail-Biting Finish
Losing Manish Pandey and Aman Khan in quick succession, coupled with some tight bowling by the KKR spinners, made for a nervy finish and left us with seven to get from the final over.
However, some sensible batting by Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav ensured we crossed the line with four wickets and as many balls to spare to register our first points of the season.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders - 127/10 (20), Jason Roy - 43 (39), Andre Russell 38 (31), Kuldeep Yadav - 2/15, Ishant Sharma 2/19 lost to Delhi Capitals - 128/6 (19.2), David Warner 57(41), Manish Pandey 21 (23), Varun Chakravarthy 2/16, Nitish Rana 2/17
Player of the Match: David Warner
