IPL 2024: Varun and Phil Salt guide KKR to 7-wicket win over DC

Boosted by Varun Chakravarthy’s three-wicket haul and Phil Salt’s rapid half-century, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured a comfortable 7-wicket win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 clash at the iconic Eden Gardens on Monday. The target of 154 proved easy for KKR, who overcame it in just 16.3 overs.

This victory solidifies KKR’s position at the second spot on the IPL 2024 points table with 12 points, while Delhi finds itself in sixth place, also with 12 points.

Phil Salt’s explosive start of 68 runs from 33 balls set the stage, significantly lightening the load for captain Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer to bring it home. Despite a hopeful performance from Axar Patel, who took 2 wickets for 25 runs, the target was too modest for DC to defend against a strong KKR lineup.

The opening pair for KKR, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, came out strong, with Salt aggressively taking on the DC bowlers. An early reprieve came when Lizaad Williams dropped Salt on 15. Salt capitalized on this, reaching his fifty in just 26 balls, which included a six off Khaleel Ahmed and also contributed to a 50-run opening stand.

Axar Patel momentarily stemmed the flow of runs by dismissing Narine for 15, breaking a 78-run partnership. However, Salt, alongside Rinku Singh, kept up the pressure, hitting boundaries regularly until Axar claimed his second victim by dismissing Salt. Williams later took the wicket of Rinku Singh.

In the end, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer kept their composure, steering KKR to victory with their proficient batting, sealing the match with a 7-wicket win.

Earlier in the day, KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy cast a spell over the DC batters, but Kuldeep Yadav managed to make a significant impact towards the end, pushing DC to a total of 153/9 at the Eden Gardens.

DC opted to bat first, a decision backed by their captain Rishabh Pant in hopes of setting a challenging score. KKR’s Shreyas Iyer preferred to bowl, believing it to be the advantageous choice for the hosts, a decision that proved correct.

DC’s openers, Prithvi Shaw and Jake Fraser-McGurk, started aggressively in the powerplay. Shaw was brisk before falling to Vaibhav Arora, while Mitchell Starc dismissed his compatriot Jake. The high-risk approach continued with Shai Hope hitting a six early in his innings but was soon outdone by Arora.

Abishek Porel relieved some pressure by scoring freely against Harshit Rana, but after a strong powerplay, DC’s momentum stuttered, with subsequent overs seeing the fall of key wickets, including Pant, who was caught off Chakravarthy for 27. Despite a brief fightback, DC struggled to build on their start, ultimately setting KKR a manageable target which they chased down with ease.