(CMC) – Andre Russell found a spark with the bat, but he and fellow West Indies outcast Sunil Narine failed to make an impression with the ball, and Kolkata Knight Riders slumped to their fourth loss in the Indian Premier League yesterday, when Delhi Capitals won by four wickets.
Russell struck one four and four sixes in the top score of 38 not out from 31 balls before KKR were bowled for 127 in their allocation of 20 overs in the low-scoring contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the India capital.
Russell ended with none for 12 from one over with his fast-medium pace bowling, and Narine none for 36 from his allotted four overs with his off-spin, and the Capitals reached the winning target with four balls remaining led by a half-century from Australia international opener David Warner.
The Capitals captain led from the front with the bat with 57 off 41, and Axar Patel played a crucial knock of 19 not out off 22 balls and held his nerve in the closing stages to take DC past the finish line after KKR had fought back to take the match down to the wire.
With 35 needed off 42 balls, Varun Chakaravarthy trapped Warner lbw, essaying a reverse sweep, and the KKR spinner bowled a wicket maiden and the equation read 35 needed off 36 balls. Manish Pandey in conjunction with Axar Patel released the pressure with two fours off Narine before Anukul Roy got him caught at long off, and Nitish Rana bowled Aman Khan with a beauty for a two-ball duck.
KKR then missed a huge opportunity when Bangladeshi wicketkeeper Liton Das missed the stumping of Lalit Yadav off Chakaravarthy, but the Capitals still needed 12 off 12 balls.
DC got five off the penultimate over from Rana, but Axar got two off the first ball of the final over from Kulwant Khejroliya, and another two off the second delivery, which was a no-ball, before he flicked a full toss to deep mid-wicket off the free-hit and took another couple to seal the deal.
Earlier, KKR limped to 35 for three at the end of the Power Play, and they were 70 for six in the 12th over when Narine was caught at deep mid-wicket off pacer Ishant Sharma, bringing Russell to the crease.
KKR managed 57 from the final 52 balls thanks largely to Russell, but they were well short of a competitive total.
