After opting to bowl, KKR recovered strongly despite conceding 55 runs in the powerplay. Delhi openers Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul started fluently, with Nissanka taking the aggressive route early. However, Kolkata’s bowling attack responded brilliantly once the field spread out.
The spin trio of Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy completely strangled Delhi through the middle overs. Narine removed Sameer Rizvi, while Roy dismissed both Nissanka and Tristan Stubbs in the same over to trigger another collapse. Chakaravarthy, despite going wicketless, bowled a highly economical spell that built relentless pressure.
KKR’s pacers complemented the spinners superbly. Kartik Tyagi impressed with 2/25, while Cameron Green and Vaibhav Arora chipped in with timely wickets. Delhi were eventually restricted to 142/8, with only Nissanka’s 50 and Ashutosh Sharma’s fighting 39 providing resistance.
The chase began with drama as KKR lost captain Ajinkya Rahane to a bizarre run-out after the ball deflected off Mitchell Starc’s fingertips onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Angkrish Raghuvanshi also fell in unlucky fashion after the ball brushed his glove and rolled back onto the stumps.
But from there, impact substitute Finn Allen took complete control. The explosive opener unleashed a brutal assault on the DC attack, smashing 10 sixes and five boundaries in a sensational unbeaten 47-ball century, his maiden IPL hundred. Green played the supporting role perfectly as KKR chased down the target in just 14.2 overs to register their fourth consecutive victory and climb back into playoff contention.