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Kolkata Knight Riders produced a remarkable performance against the Delhi Capitals with the batters smashing a massive 272 for 7 at the ACA-VDCA cricket stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
DC ended 106 runs short of the target.
The best batters from the match...
Sunil Narine
Narine churned out his best outing in the T20 format with a smashing 38-ball 85.
The Windies all-rounder took six deliveries before getting off the mark with a single. But if the Delhi Capitals thought that that was an indication of how Narine's innings was going to pace out, they were far from the mark.
Getting his first boundary off Khaleel Ahmed over deep point in the third over, Narine began his assault against Ishan Sharma, hammering him for 26 runs in the fourth over! 6-6-6-0-6-4 off Ishant
That's what the beginning of the carnage looked like as the Capitals were left looking clueless.
Narine and Phil Salt added 60 off just 27 for the opening partnership, with the Trinidadian the busy of the two, scoring 34 off 15 for the first wicket.
With Angriksh Raghuvanshi joining the KKR veteran in the middle, Delhi bowlers had their task cut out. Narine continued his onslaught against Rasikh Salam as KKR scored a smashing 88 in the Powerplay. Narine brought up his fifty off just 21 deliveries.
Rishabh Pant rotated his bowlers, trying to stop the assault. Getting Sumit Kumar into the attack in the seventh over gave the Capitals some respite in, as he conceded just five in his first.
But Axar Patel, who was brought into the attack in the eighth over, faced the brutal Narine, leaking 19 in his first.
Narine and debutant Raghuvanshi raced to 100 off just 46 for the second wicket.
Scoring at a sizzling rate of 217.94, Narine hammered the hapless DC bowlers for seven boundaries and seven maximums.
Narine's assault came to an end in the 13th over, with Mitchell Marsh using the short ball to hand some respite for the Capitals.
Sunny -- as Narine is known in the KKR universe -- walked off to a standing ovation as the spectators, which included one Bollywood superstar, rose to applaud an amazing inning.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Playing his debut IPL season, Angkrish Raghuvanshi hammered his maiden IPL fifty, bringing up his half-century off just 25 deliveries.
Angkrish, who plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit, had the best seat in the house to witness Narine's onslaught, describing the Windies all-rounder's knock as 'Box Office Stuff'.
He began his journey in the league with a boundary on the first delivery he faced in the IPL.
Angkrish, who didn't bat in his first IPL match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, shared an explosive second wicket stand of 104 off just 48 deliveries with Narine.
The 18 year old, who was India's highest run-getter at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup title winning run, scored at an impressive rate of 200.
His innings was peppered with five boundaries and three sixes.
Andre Russell
After Narine and Raghuvanshi set the Knights up for a massive total, the hard-hitting Russell added the final flourish along side Rinku Singh.
Russell's inconsistency over the last couple of years has been a concern for KKR. But in the ongoing season, he has once again proved how important an asset he is to any team.
Russell along with Shreyas Iyer steadied KKR's innings after the visitors lost Narine and Raghuvanshi in quick succession.
The Windies all rounder and the skipper added 56 off 24 for the fourth wicket as the former champs continued to frustrate the Delhi bowlers.
With the DC bowlers committing the cardinal sin of bowling full tosses to the dangerous Russell, the Windies batter punished them with easy boundaries.
A superb deliver from Ishan Sharma denied Russell a fifty, but not before the KKR veteran took his team to a massive total.
Scoring at a sizzling rate of 215.78, Russell's knock was peppered with four boundaries and three huge sixes.
Rinku Singh
When he walks onto the pitch, you know you'll witness a few sixes. The fans in Visakhapatnam had already been treated to a run fest before Rinku walked in at No. 6.
He may have faced just eight deliveries, but scoring at the highest strike rate of the KKR inning -- a scintillating 325 -- Rinku churned out another cameo in the death overs.
Rinku smashed three maximums and a boundary in his 8-ball 26 as the Delhi bowlers conceded their highest total.
Rishabh Pant
The ever-dependable Pant was a glimmer for DC when all hope was lost with four wickets falling in the Powerplay overs.
Pant scored a second successive half-century, showcasing signs of him returning to his prime form. He did have some tough moments with his knee during his innings, but it was no hindrance.
He got off the mark with a six and punished the bad balls and scored mostly on the leg side when the poor deliveries were served on a platter.
He smashed Andre Russell for two sixes and went on the rampage against Venkatesh Iyer, smashing him for 28 runs in the 12th over, bringing up his fifty off 23 balls.
Pant and Tristan Stubbs brought the fans to their feet with some impressive strokeplay and stitched a 93-run stand. But once Pant was gone, there was no way to resurrect DC's innings.
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