Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locked in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at Sharjah on Wednesday (October 13).
Asked to bat first, DC posted a below-par 135/5 in 20 overs. It was a disappointing performance with the bat as no one managed to touch the 40-run mark. Shikhar Dhawan was the top scorer with 36.
Varun Chakaravarthy was the stand-out bowler for KKR, claiming two wickets by conceding only 26 runs in his four overs. Lockie Ferguson (1-26) and Shivam Mavi (1-27) were also economical with the ball and picked up one scalp each.
Knight Riders were expected to chase down the target easily but they were made to work hard for the win. Openers Shubman Gill (46) and Venkatesh Iyer (55) put on 96 runs for the first wicket but once they got, KKR’s middle-order collapsed miserably and they slipped to 125/3 to 130/7.
At one stage, Kolkata needed 13 runs off 25 balls but thanks to the brilliance of Avesh Khan (1-22), Kagiso Rabada (2-23) and Anrich Nortje(2-31), Delhi bounced back in the game.
Defending 7 runs in the final over, R Ashwin took a wicket and conceded only 1 run till the fourth delivery but Rahul Tripathi (12*) produced a six on the penultimate ball to win the contest for KKR by three wickets.
With this victory, KKR qualified for the IPL 2021 final, where they will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday (October 15). On the other hand, the Capitals got knocked out of the tournament.
Cricket experts on Twitter lauded Morgan and company for their win in the all-important game.
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