TATA IPL 2024: Salt's Fifty, Chakravarthy's 3-Fer Lead Kolkata to Win Over Delhi

Kolkata Knight Riders' opening partnership shone brightly as Phil Salt's explosive 33-ball 68 propelled them to a commanding seven-wicket victory over the Delhi Capitals in IPL Match 47 at Eden Gardens. Despite being unsold in the IPL 2024 auction, Salt joined KKR for 1.5 crore after Jason Roy's withdrawal. This marked his fourth half-century of the season, showcasing his consistency and value to the team.

Salt and Sunil Narine dominated the power play, amassing 79 runs without losing a wicket. Lizaad Williams suffered in his first over, conceding 23 runs, mainly due to Phil Salt's onslaught, although Narine added a boundary off the last ball. Lizaad's woes continued when he dropped Salt off the first ball of the second over. Another chance for Salt off Khaleel Ahmed's delivery saw Lizaad positioned at mid-on, but he failed to grasp the ball cleanly, allowing it to strike his chest after slipping through his hands.

The slower balls gripped the surface for Capitals' fast bowlers, but they didn’t use it very well, offering both batters room to chance their arms on multiple occasions. Salt went past the half-century mark in 26 deliveries during an 18-run sixth over delivered by Khaleel Ahmed. Of the first ball bowled by Axar Patel after the Power-play, Narine looked for the big hit with the turn and picked out deep midwicket on 15 runs. Axar, in the very next over, knocked out Salt’s off-stump on 68 as a new pair of batters, Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh came in the middle. Rinku Singh, who got the chance to show his mettle in the chase, got out on run-up ball 11. Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer continued ticking the board as they both added 57 runs for the fourth wicket, which was enough to beat the visitors by seven wickets.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav's brilliant knock of 35 runs propelled Delhi Capitals to 153/9 after Varun Chakravarthy bowled a brilliant spell of 3-16 for KKR. DC skipper Rishabh Pant and Abhishek Porel added 31 runs for the fourth wicket after an early setback but after their partnership ended, wickets kept falling from the other side. Porel (18), Axar Patel (15), Tristan Stubbs (4) and Kumar Kushagra (1) got out cheaply as DC from 67/3 in nine overs, were reduced to 101/6 in 13 overs. 

Kuldeep Yadav's impressive innings of 35 runs from 29 deliveries, including five boundaries and a six, boosted Delhi Capitals to a total of 153/9 in their allotted 20 overs. However, Yadav's bowling performance wasn't as successful, as he was introduced late into the attack and ended his spell with figures of 34 runs conceded without taking any wickets. Despite Yadav's struggles, Venkatesh Iyer sealed the victory for Kolkata Knight Riders with a six, consolidating their position in second place with their sixth win of the season.