KL Rahul showed his class at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, as his masterclass of 60 runs helped DC post a competitive total as well. KL Rahul was the fulcrum of the batting throughout in the other formats and IPL. RR batted first, where KL Rahul scored 60 runs while others chipped in and played cameos to post 203/5 in 20 overs, which was a competitive score.
In reply, Ajinkya Rahane looked good as the captain fell for 63 runs in 29 balls as he took the fight to DC. But lack of support meant that the team collapsed in a heap. They lost their last 8 wickets very easily in the end. Kuldeep Yadav, coming on as an impact player, picked up 3 wickets while Lungi Ngidi picked up 3 wickets, and Mitchell Starc picked up 2 wickets as well, as DC beat KKR in the end.
KL Rahul’s masterful half-century powers DC to 203/5 in 20 overs
Put into bat first, Abishek Porel, the keeper batter, opened the batting with KL Rahul while Anukul Roy had the ball in hand for DC. DC were off to a fast start with Porel and Rahul off to a flier. Porel rode his luck as keeper batter Tejasvi Dahiya dropped a few easy chances behind the wicket. The duo managed to put on 40 runs for the first wicket before Porel fell in the 5th over for 22 off 18 balls with 4 fours to his name to Saurabh Dubey. Sahil Parakh came out to bat next.
Sahil and KL started to forge another important stand to drive the innings forward. Rahul looked good out there while Sahil got himself going as well. KKR made sure they went to 53/1 in 6 overs of power play. The duo played beyond that in the middle phase as well. The duo of KL and Sahil put on 47 runs for the second wicket before Sahil fell for 24 off 17 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Sunil Narine.
Axar Patel, the captain, came out to bat next. Axar was quickly off the blocks and played at an elevated tempo. The captain and his deputy put on 38 runs for the 3rd wicket before Rahul, the set batter who completed his fifty, fell for 60 off 30 balls with 5 fours and 4 sixes to his name to Anukul Roy. David Miller joined Axar in the middle. Axar and Miller joined forces and forged another important partnership. They took the innings deep.
The duo added 41 runs for the 4th wicket before captain Axar Patel fell for 39 off 25 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Varun Chakaravarthy. Ashutosh Sharma came out to bat next; he joined Miller in the middle for the last 3.1 overs. Both of them were determined to finish on a high note. Both were not giving an inch. Ashutosh and Miller complemented each other really well out there as they added another vital stand of 35 runs in quick time for the 5th wicket before Miller fell for 28 off 19 balls with 3 sixes to his name to Dubey.
Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next with 2 balls left in the innings. In those 2 balls, DC, who had crossed the 200-run mark, managed another 2 runs off 2 balls as DC ended with a competitive 203/5 in 20 overs. Ashutosh Sharma finished with an unbeaten 18 off 11 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name, while Stubbs was unbeaten on 0 off 1 ball. 12 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a mixed bowling display by the KKR bowlers. Saurabh Dubey finished with 2/28 in 4 overs. Anukul Roy finished with 1/23 in 2 overs. Sunil Narine finished with 1/38 in 4 overs. Varun Chakaravarthy finished with 1/35 in 4 overs. Cameron Green finished with 0/21 in 2 overs. Kartik Tyagi finished with 0/55 in 4 overs. This meant that KKR needed 204 runs to win the contest to end the campaign on a high note with a win.
Ajinkya Rahane’s half-century went in vain as Lungi Ngidi and Kuldeep Yadav’s 3-wicket hauls helped DC win the contest with ease
Chasing 204 for the win, captain Ajinkya Rahane and Impact Player Finn Allen came out to bat for KKR while Mitchell Starc had the ball in hand for DC. Rahane rolled back the years and looked in sublime touch, while Finn Allen started well as well. The duo laid the base and put on 43 runs for the first wicket inside 5 overs. Allen fell for 20 off 13 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Lungi Ngidi.
Manish Pandey came out to bat at 3 inside the power play. The power play score for KKR was 55/1 in 6 overs. The duo of Rahane and Pandey put on 44 runs for the second wicket before Pandey fell for 25 off 16 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Lungi Ngidi. Cameron Green came out to bat next.
Green and Rahane added 9 runs for the third wicket before Green fell for 2 off 3 balls to Kuldeep Yadav. Rovman Powell came out to bat next and started steadily out there. Rahane and Green added 32 runs for the 4th wicket before captain Rahane fell for a well-made 63 off 39 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes to his name to Kuldeep Yadav. Rinku Singh came and went in a jiffy for a golden duck as Kuldeep had two in two balls. Tejasvi Dahiya, the keeper-batter, came out to bat next.
Dahiya too did not last long as he fell for 1 off 3 balls, as a single run was added to the tally. Dahiya fell to Axar Patel, who picked up his first wicket as well. Anukul Roy joined us out there in the middle. Powell tried to fight for KKR, but the damage was already done by me. The duo added 25 runs for the 7th wicket before Powell fell for 29 off 21 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name via a run out by Sameer Rizvi, and this was the final nail in the coffin.
Kartik Tyagi came out to bat next. The score stayed at 154 when Anukul fell for 9 off 8 balls with one four to his name to Mitchell Starc. Varun Chakaravarthy came out to bat next. One more run was added to the tally before Tyagi fell for a golden duck to Mitchell Starc. Saurabh Dubey came out to bat next. Dube and Varun added 8 more runs to the score before Varun fell for 5 off 5 balls with one four to his name to Ngidi.
Saurabh Dubey remained unbeaten on 4 off 2 balls with one four to his name as KKR were bundled out for 163 in 18.4 overs. 5 extras in the form of wides were given by the fielding side.
For DC, Lungi Ngidi finished with figures of 3/27 in 3.4 overs. Kuldeep Yadav finished with 3/29 in 4 overs. Mitchell Starc finished with 2/26 in 3 overs. Axar Patel finished with 1/38 in 4 overs. Auqib Nabi finished with 0/23 in 2 overs. Madhav Tiwari finished with 0/20 in 2 overs. So, DC thrashed KKR by 40 runs to finish the season on a high. Kuldeep Yadav was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
So, both DC and KKR end their campaign with the Capitals ending on a high. The league stage is done and dusted, and it’s time for the Playoffs. RCB vs GT in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala on May 26th, while SRH takes on RR in the Eliminator in New Chandigarh on May 27th. It’s going to be fun as the playoffs are upon us.
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