Kolkata Knight Riders returned to their ruthless routine after thrashing the in-form Delhi Capitals at Eden Gardens in the 47th match of the Indian Premier League.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch where a record 262 runs were chased only a few nights ago against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Capitals looked to continue their routine of batting first, but they fell into the trap of Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora, who took three wickets inside the powerplay. Despite Pant’s positive outlook and the support of Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy dismantled their line-up in middle-overs.
Knight Riders derailed Delhi’s middle order and summed them up for just 153 runs in 20 overs. As expected, Salt and Narine took on the attack early in the run-chase, giving them a big advantage in the powerplay. Afterwards, it was one-way traffic as, with Shreyas Iyer’s and Venkatesh Iyer’s help, Kolkata easily chased down 154 runs with 21 balls remaining. 
Despite this game’s one-sided scoreboard, certain situations could have been interesting if things unfolded differently. Let’s check the five defining moments.
Flames of Arora and Starc’s opening spell
Delhi Capitals dominated Mumbai Indians in the last game, and one of the main reasons was their big opening stand. When they collected 15 runs from Starc’s over, they appeared to be in the same rhythm, but Vaibhav Arora slowed them down after dismissing Shaw down the leg. Then Starc joined the party and removed Fraser-McGurk. Delhi’s hopes were dashed when Arora removed Shai Hope, as Capitals tried to rebuild. Ultimately, Kolkata’s big powerplay turned out to be a big advantage.
Chakaravarthy’s middle blow
Following early blows, Delhi looked to find some balance with Patel and Pant taking charge. The Delhi captain looked set to rebuild Capitals’ innings when they were 93 for four wickets at the end of the 10th over, but Varun Chakaravarthy caught him red-handed and sparked the collapse. When Kolkata’s magician sent out Stubbs and Kushagra, Delhi had all but lost any chance of making a good total.
Rana’s perfect side hero anchor
Despite Kolkata’s spinners sending Delhi into the danger zone, Rana and Arora solved the problem at the back end of the game. The Delhi team tried to fight back with the help of Kuldeep Yadav, but Rana came to the battle with all guns blazing. He sent Rasikh Salam back in the pavilion, who could bat and give blows to Kolkata.
Philip Salt’s casual walk in the park
When both sides met last time around, it was Narine and Salt who smashed Delhi bowlers all over the park and virtually knocked them out of the match and same happened this time. Though Narine seemed to be in a trance, the English batter gave Delhi’s bowlers the same nightmare. He smashed 68 runs off 38 balls and gave Kolkata an easy victory. Five sixes and seven fours accompanied Salt’s innings to worsen Delhi’s outing.
The lethal finishing touch of Iyer and Iyer
Even though Kolkata had a smooth sailing chase, Axar Patel gave them some heartache in the middle. However, Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer negotiated the situation to perfection and led KKR to a comfortable victory. Taking Kolkata to second in the points table, they stitched an unbreakable 57-run partnership.
Kolkata Knight Riders have strengthened their grip for the top two spot after the convincing win and Parimatch odds have put them at 2.01x rate against Mumbai Indians in next game at Wankhede Stadium. They are in good form but share a poor record at Mumbai’s home. Delhi Capitals will host the table toppers Rajasthan Royals and odds have put them at 2.19x rate.
