KKR win by 106 runs
The first time that KKR have started a season with three straight wins. And each bigger than the previous one. Vaibhav Arora ends with his IPL best, 3 for 27, and Mitchell Starc is not required back as DC are bowled out in 17.2 overs.
We leave you with a teaser from our final report. Thanks for joining us.
Last Wednesday in the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad set the record for the highest score in the IPL score: 277. It was under threat for a while that night, but a week later, what should have been a once-in-a-decade effort was nearly overtaken by a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders batting unit. Sunil Narine plundered his personal best in T20s, 85 off 39, almost-homegrown youngster Angrkish Raghuvanshi matched him with 54 off 27, and Andre Russell finished off with 41 off 19. A searing yorker from Ishant Sharma to get Russell in the last over prevented the record, but the 272 was enough for KKR to register a comfortable win by 106 runs and join RR with three wins from three matches at the top of the table. In taking four wickets in the powerplay, two each for Vaibhav Arora and Mitchell Starc, KKR ticked another box in a season that they have presented themselves as title contenders.
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Varun gets Stubbs too
Just like with Pant, C Varun has got rid of Tristan Stubbs moments after he reaches a fifty. Stubbs gone for 54 off 32. That leaves KKR 22.8 to get over the last five overs.
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Fifty for Pant
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The Rishabh Pant we knew is back. Power, innovation, awareness of field, timing and power are all on display when Shreyas Iyer thinks he can slip in one over from Venkatesh Iyer. Pant goes from 276 to 55 in that over.
Varun Chakravarthy, though, gets the better off Pant with a ball wide outside off, which gets the thick edge. He gets Axar Patel out next ball.
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Spinners put brakes on
After Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs got going in the last over of the powerplay ands the first over after it, the KKR spin twins have slowed them down. Sunil Narine especially has been superb with just eight runs in two overs. The last four overs have got them just 31 runs, leaving them 19.55 per over for nine overs.
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One brings two for Starc
One ball after getting slogged for a big six by David Warner, which Mitchell Starc didn't even look to see where it went, he gets an inside edge from Warner onto the middle stump. DC are 33 for 2, and reeling. Tristan Stubbs and Rishabh Pant are their last hope really. Do they start thinking of net run rate?
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Arora gets two
A lovely little spell from Vaibhav Arora, brought in as Impact Player today. He has been swinging the ball left to right, which is inswingers for right-hand batter and outswingers from left-hand batters, in the late 130ks. The movement has been good enough to deny batters big hits, but he is not happy with just dots. He bowls the perfect bouncer aimed at Abhishek Porel's head at 138sk, and the top edge settles with short fine leg. It's 27 for 3 in four overs.
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Starc on board
It has taken him 59 legal balls to get it, but Mitchell Starc now has a wicket this IPL, that of Mitchell Marsh. Perhaps he should line up to bowl to Daryl when playing CSK.
One of those wickets where Marsh throws the bat at it, nails the square-drive, but finds cover-point. That wicket apart, Starc has bowled well today, extracting just that little bit of movement. DC 26 for 2 in three overs.
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Arora gets Shaw early
KKR have replaced Angkrish Raghuvanshi with the tall fast bowler, Viabhav Arora, who has managed to get some shape back in to the right-hand batter. Eventually a thick inner edge on the drive lobs to mid-on where C Varun takes a superb catch diving forward. DC 21 for 1 in two overs.
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Starc's challenge now
0 Number of wickets Mitchell Starc has taken in two matches so far, and has gone for over 100 in eight overs
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Ishant protects SRH's record
A searing yorker to get the wicket of Andre Russell, who went back applauding Idhant Sharma, followed by an excellent final over has KKR to 272. We say "kept them to 272", which tells you how brutal they were in the first 19 overs.
Sunil Narine started the carnage, Angkrish Raghuvanshi followed with a quick fifty, Andre Russell was powerful and Shreyas Iyer backed him up. That's 40 boundaries: two every over, one every three balls.
Only one over of spin from Delhi Capitals. KKR have Sunil Narine. Can he be the difference with the ball too?
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Nortje taken apart
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1w
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That's Rinku Singh facing all the balls in the 19th over, bowled by Anrich Nortje, who ends with figures of 4-0-59-3. Even our Forecaster has them at 277 now. Something tells me KKR will be disappointed if they get just 277.
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Over-rate penalty invoked
To make things worse for DC, they have to bowl the last two overs with over-rate penalty allowing them only four fielders outside the circle. At 239 for 4, our Forecaster has them scoring 263, but I think more might be on the cards.
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Is 277 on?
Amdre Russell looks dangerous on 38 off 15, Shreyas Iyer has just hit his first six, and KKR are 224 for 3 in 17 overs. They need 54 in the last three to get to the highest IPL score ever. Our Forecaster says 261.
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Fifty for Raghuvanshi
Angkrish Raghuvanshi is batting for the first time in the IPL. You wouldn't be able to tell if we didn't tell you. He has been batting like he has been here for a while. That reverse-shot over short third was the highlight, but he has been good all around. The fifty has come off just 25 balls.
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Marsh gets Narine for 85 off 39
There won't be a hundred for Sunil Narine, but he has got out trying to do what he does: hit a six. Mitch Marsh has bowled smartly to him, going short and outside off with a deep point and deep cover in place. He has not minded being wided. In fact he has bowled two wides. But when he bowls on line, Narine looks to pull and it is not easy to control from that high. Edged to the keeper. KKR 165 for 2 in 12.3 overs.
No respite, though. Andre Russell is the new batter in.
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Narine into the 80s
With a six over long-off off Anrich Nortje, Sunil Narine has moved to his personal best in T20 cricket. He is 82 off 35 with seven fours and seven sixes. A boundary every 2.5 balls.
Our Forecaster suggests 257 for KKR.
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Into the top three
2 Number of 10-over scores higher than DC's 135 for 1 in this match. Both those higher totals have come this season. Not a year for the first half
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Is 277 under threat?
There has been no respite for DC as Narine and Raghuvanshi have continued punishing the bowlers. Raghuvanshi, who looks like a batter who plants the front foot down early, has still found ways to score runs fluently. Even when then length has been shortened, he has managed a late-cut off the front foot. Narine has taken apart Axar Patel's left-arm spin with two sixes in his first over.
Under threat is Narine's personal best of 79, but more importantly that 277 might also get a look in. Our Forecaster currently says 245.
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Quick fifty for Narine
He was on 24 when Rishabh Pant and DC failed to appeal for an edge at the wicket, and since then Sunil Narine has been lethal. Making room to hit through the off side, and whenever they try to cramp him up he has managed to loft them over the leg side. Six fours, four sixes in 21 balls. KKR 88 for 1 in six overs.
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Nortje gets Salt
Anrich Nortje has made immediate impact with a length ball getting a little big of Phil Salt who gets more height than distance and is caught at mid-off. Another surprise from KKR after that: Angkrish Raghuvanshi moves in at No. 3. To be fair, he is a top-order bat so better off sending him out early. And he gets going with two boundaries immediately. KKR 70 for 1 in five overs.
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Narine, Salt on fire
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The sequence starting from the fifth ball of the second over to the end of the fourth. The fifty is already up. Time to go to Anrich Nortje.
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Khaleel, Ishant start off
Perhaps because it is Salt and Narine, Khaleel Ahmed didn't really go up to check if there is swing on offer. He pitched up only one ball, and it seamed and swung. Good carry when you bang the middle of the pitch. KKR 7 for 0 in one over.
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Narine against the moving ball?
Ishant Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed moved the new ball around in the last match in Vizag, which set up the win over CSK for DC. KKR are coming off some success with Sunil Narine as the opener. If they continue with Narine at top, this is going to be a spicy start. We might even see Anrich Nortje in early if Narine happens to blast through the first two overs.
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KKR bat first; Sumi replaces injured Mukesh for DC
Interesting that both sides would have batted first had they won the toss. As it turns out, Shreyas Iyer wins it for KKR and they will be batting first. So neither side worried about the dew.
KKR have recalled Angkrish Raghuvanshi to their middle order. DC have lost Mukesh Kumar to injury with Sumit Kumar replacing him.
Kolkata Knight Riders PD Salt†, VR Iyer, SS Iyer*, RK Singh, A Raghuvanshi, SP Narine, AD Russell, Ramandeep Singh, MA Starc, Harshit Rana, CV Varun
Delhi Capitals PP Shaw, DA Warner, MR Marsh, RR Pant*†, T Stubbs, AR Patel, Sumit Kumar, Rasikh Salam, A Nortje, I Sharma, KK Ahmed
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Starc vs Nortje
Match 16 of IPL 2024. DC vs KKR. Two former DC mates, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, going up against each other. Will Mitchell Starc and Anrich Nortje find ways out of their trouble? Will Sunil Narine open? What does Andre Russell have in store? Can David Warner continue his good run against Narine? What does Prtihvi Shaw have in store for us? A lot of sub-plots await.
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