IPL 6: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils- Heroes of the Game

Mahela Jayawardene

Delhi captain Mahela Jayawardene celebrates after scoring 50 during the match between KKR and DD at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 3, 2013. (Photo: IANS)

The only thing that came good from Unmukt Chand’s first ball dismissal for Delhi was that their skipper Mahela Jayawardene found more time to weave his willowy magic on the hallowed turf of the Eden Gardens. The Sri Lankan was elegance personified as he played a classy innings of 66 to give Delhi a fighting chance in the encounter while others around him fell like nine pins in a bowling lane. It was a captain’s knock from Jayawardene, who, unlike his teammates, assessed the situation quickly and played in accordance to what the pitch offered him.

Rajat Bhatia

Whenever the success of Kolkata Knight Riders is analysed, the name of Rajat Bhatia never quite makes it to the surface of the discussions. But the Delhi lad has been one of the biggest catalysts in the Knight Riders’ winning formula for the last couple of years. He may not be as talented as the other Delhiite – Gautam Gambhir – in the side, but he surely knows how to hold his own amongst the big boys. A top-order batsman and an occasional new ball bowler in the domestic circuit, he has been one of the greatest examples of a player adapting to the shorter version of the game and making the most of what he has.

He did a great job of outfoxing the batsmen with his variations in speed as well as cutters to slow the run rate down after Delhi had got off to a brisk start in spite of losing early wickets (44 off the first 6 overs). Finally, the stranglehold that Bhatia was able to build on the Delhi batsman paid off as Johan Botha and Naman Ojha fell to him as they tried to break free from the shackles. Bhatia finished with figures of 2 for 23 in 4 overs.

Lakshmipathy Balaji

Balaji is like a box of chocolates with different centres. You never know which you are going to get when pick one up. For the Kolkata faithful, it was the good Balaji that turned up on the day. He was the accomplice-in-chief for Rajat Bhatia in the middle overs to dry up the runs. His combination of out-swingers, off-cutters and slower as well as quicker bouncers were as effective as accurate. The Delhi batsmen were forced to launch an attack blindly in the latter parts because of their scoring getting stifled in the middle overs. The job for Narine became even more simpler.

Sunil Narine

The quote “Cometh the hour, cometh the man” would be apt for the magician from Trinidad & Tobago. The IPL has become his favourite playground and once again, he was shining brightly under the floodlights of Eden Gardens. Narine literally toyed with the Daredevils as he helped himself to 4 wickets in his 4-over spell while conceding a mere 13 runs. Combine that with a well-taken catch to dismiss the dangerous Mahela Jayawardene and having the presence of mind to get back to the stumps to force a run out off the last ball of the Delhi innings, and it was as good as it gets for a bowler in T20 cricket.

Gautam Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir in action during IPL T-20 match between KKR and DD at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 3, 2013. (Photo: IANS)

The middle order has always been the Achilles heel for Kolkata and they have had to rely heavily on the top order in the past. Knight Rider fans, however, didn’t know what to expect from their skipper and main stalwart of their batting, Gautam Gambhir, after having an indifferent season on the international front and recovering from a bout of jaundice.

The Gambhir they got to see, however, closely resembled the batsman that got sometimes single-handedly dragged them to the finals and came second in the race for the orange cap. He may not have finished the job for the team but certainly brought them to the cusp of victory. A brisk 42 off 29 balls which included 5 fours and a six will certainly give the fans as well as the team more belief going further into the tournament.

Honourable Mention: Shahbaz Nadeem. The Delhi spinner certainly did make the best use of the conditions and was lucky to get Kallis out on a long hop. However, his fielding left too much to be desired. When you’re defending a paltry score of 128, those mistakes are unpardonable.