Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stayed alive in the race for the IPL 2025 playoffs by defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 14 runs in Delhi. Sunil Narine showed his class, first with a cameo with the bat, and then with the ball. He picked up three key wickets and was named Player of the Match.
Chasing a target of 205 runs, DC were in trouble early after losing three wickets for just 60 runs in 6.3 overs. Batters like Abishek Porel, Karun Nair and KL Rahul were back in the pavilion. Then came DC skipper Axar Patel, joining Faf du Plessis at the crease. The two built a solid partnership and kept DC in the game. After 13 overs, DC were 130/3 and needed 75 runs from 42 balls.
A few overs earlier, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane injured his finger and left the field. With vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer already subbed out, Sunil Narine took over the captaincy duties. In the 14th over, Narine brought himself on to bowl. Axar started the over with a six, but Narine made a quick comeback and dismissed him — the fourth time he has dismissed Axar in T20s. The 76-run fourth-wicket stand was broken, with Axar out for 43 off 23 balls.
On the last ball of that same over, Narine bamboozled Tristan Stubbs, and the momentum suddenly shifted in KKR’s favour. Narine returned in the 16th over and dismissed Du Plessis for 62 off 45. Narine ended his spell with figures of 3/29 from four overs.
Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam fought back, smashing 11 runs off Harshit Rana in the 17th over. But in the next over, Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets, leaving DC needing 38 runs from 12 balls. Nigam fought hard and smashed a four and a six off Harshit in the 19th over. DC needed 25 runs from the final over.
For the Latest Sports News: Follow RevSportz
The @KKRiders pulled back things in a fitting way 🥳
And it was all fueled by the brilliance of Sunil Narine 😎
Scorecard ▶ https://t.co/saNudbWaXT #TATAIPL | #DCvKKR pic.twitter.com/zp5CDNEJsw
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 29, 2025
Birthday boy Andre Russell was given the ball for the last over. He delivered under pressure, conceding just 10 runs and taking the wicket of Nigam. DC eventually fell short by 14 runs.
Earlier in the match, KKR batters did well to post a competitive total of 204/9 in 20 overs. It started with a strong opening stand from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narine. After the power play, they were 79/1. Gurbaz scored 26 off 12 balls, Narine made 27 off 16, and Ajinkya Rahane chipped in with 26 off 14.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi anchored the innings at No. 4, scoring 44 off 32 balls. Later, Rinku Singh (36 off 25) and Russell (17 off 9) added quick runs to help KKR reach 204. For DC, Mitchell Starc starred with the ball against his former team, taking three wickets. Nigam and Axar took two wickets each.
KKR now have nine points from 10 games and sit in seventh place with a net run rate of +0.271. Meanwhile, DC have now lost two games in a row. They remain in fourth place with 12 points from 10 games and a net run rate of +0.362.
During the post-match presentation, Narine credited the team for the win, saying: “It was a total team effort. The way we started with Gurbaz and then Angki [Raghuvanshi] and Rinku. I still back myself to come back and deliver for the team. I enjoyed all the wickets, all are crucial. The more wickets you get, the better it is for the team.”
Also Read: Why isn’t Venkatesh Iyer opening for KKR?