In the 16th match of the IPL 2020, Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 18 runs at Sharjah Cricket Stadium (Sharjah).
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik won the toss and chose to field first. Delhi Capitals scored 228/4 (20 overs) at the end of the first innings. In reply, KKR managed to score 210/8 (20 overs).
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) innings
On the eighth ball of the innings, Anrich Norje bowled the KKR opening batsman Sunil Narine for just 3 runs. Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana handled the early situation as their second-wicket partnership was smoothly running till the end of the mandatory powerplay where KKR scored 59/1 at the end of the 6 overs.
In the ninth over, Amit Mishra brought the crucial breakthrough for his team as he dismissed the young opener Gill for 28 runs. While it was Mishra’s 150th IPL match, Gill’s dismissal was his 100th IPL wicket for Delhi Capitals. Before that dismissal, Gill-Rana set up the 64 runs partnership for the second wicket. That wicket triggered a collapse in KKR innings
Kagiso Rabada dismissed dangerous Andre Russell (13 runs) in 10th over. In the 12th over, Rana completed his half-century in 32 balls. But in the 13th over, Harshal Patel took two wickets on back-to-back deliveries after dismissing Rana (58 runs off 35 balls; 4 fours and 4 sixes) and skipper Dinesh Karthik (6 runs). Nortje picked up his second wicket in this match after dismissing Pat Cummins (5 runs) in the next over.
Though Eoin Morgan was caught out at the point in the 15th over, Harshal Patel delivered that as a no-ball due to a high full toss. But then Morgan and Rahul Tripathi batted furiously and set up a quick-fire 50+ partnership for the seventh wicket. Their partnership suddenly brought them into the game. While Tripathi was given out in caught behind fashion, it was overturned after the KKR batsman confidently took the DRS.
In the 17th and 18th overs, their partnership collected 24 and 23 runs respectively as KKR had to score 31 runs in the last two overs to win the match.
Nortje came to bowl his last over in the 19th over of the innings where he broke that dangerous seventh-wicket partnership by dismissing Morgan for 44 runs off just 18 balls (only four and 5 sixes). Morgan-Tripathi had the 78 runs partnership for the seventh wicket. Nortje bowled brilliantly that 19th over where he conceded only five runs and took the wicket of dangerous Morgan.
On the second ball of the final over, Tripathi lost his wicket to Marcus Stoinis after scoring 36 runs off only 16 balls (3 fours and 3 sixes) as it was a bowled dismissal.
IPL 2020, Match 16: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (DC vs KKR) – Scorecard (2nd innings)
Delhi Capitals (DC) innings
Delhi Capitals openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan provided a solid start with 56 runs partnership in 5.5 overs. After Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Dhawan for 26 runs just before the end of the mandatory powerplay, Shaw continued his impressive batting with the captain Shreyas Iyer.
Shaw and Iyer built up the 73 runs partnership for the second wicket. Shaw completed his half-century in 35 balls. Before Nagarkoti dismissed the young opener, Shaw scored 66 runs off 41 balls (4 fours and 4 sixes). Then Iyer and Rishabh Pant partnership fired up over the KKR bowlers as their third-wicket partnership collected 79 runs in just 5.1 overs. Skipper Iyer completed his half-century in just 26 balls.
In the 18th over, Andre Russell dismissed Rishabh Pant who scored 38 runs off just 17 balls (5 fours and only six). Iyer remained not out on 88 runs off just 38 balls (7 fours and 6 sixes).
Sunil Narine, who became the most capped KKR player in T20 cricket on this night, had the bowling figures of 2-0-26-0. Andre Russell (2/29) got two wickets while Varun Chakravarthy (1/49) and Kamlesh Nagarkoti (1/35) bagged one wicket each.
IPL 2020, Match 16: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (DC vs KKR) – Scorecard (1st innings)
