The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
Thanks a lot for joining us- Mohul Bhowmick and Sooryanarayanan Sesha- for this game in the Indian Premier League where the Delhi Capitals managed to finally get their first win of the season. The Knight Riders remain in the eighth position of the league table with 4 points inside their kitty, while the Capitals are still last. Join us back tomorrow for the Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad clash in the same competition. Until then, goodbye!
Ishant Sharma (Player of the Match): I was only waiting for a chance to come my way. Every day the lengths change, so I wanted to work on it. My approach was to keep bowling in the right areas. There is no lucky charm in the team (laughs). We have all done well today, and need to continue doing so and qualify for the playoffs. Hopefully, we will go on to win the tournament.
David Warner (Captain, Delhi Capitals): It wasn't easy at all, but we're extremely pleased with the result. It wasn't ideal, the way we went about things, but happy that we could cross the line. We did not do well in our previous matches, and had a discussion as to how we could have gone about things differently. We have a good group. We are very honest with each other. We played an okay game.
Sourav Ganguly (Director of Cricket, Delhi Capitals): We're happy to get off the mark. I was sitting in the dugout and thinking it was like my first Test match run 25 years ago. I think we were on the luckier side. I think we've bowled well this season. Even in the game against Bangalore to restrict them to 170 odd I thought we did well. Against Mumbai too we defended 163 well. These are good pitches, fast outfields so it's hard on the bowlers but the problem is the batting. We need to go back and look at ourselves, how we can bat better. I think the bowling was exceptional, the quicks bowled well. Nortje has been exceptional, Mukesh and Ishant bowled really well. I won't say inexperienced (batting lineup), most of these guys have played enough T20 cricket but we need to bat better. You wake up every day to win. In this format, you back yourself every time you come out to play. We've not had a good five matches and obviously the batting has been a problem. We work hard in the nets - all the coaches, not just me or Ricky. Whether it's Marsh or Prithvi or Manish, they've all been around for a long time and they have to put in better batting performances. This win will bring a smile on everyone's faces. We have a day off tomorrow, fly to Hyderabad for a good batting wicket. Hyderabad has generally been a good batting wicket and hopefully we get some runs there.
Nitish Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders captain): I think we were 15-20 runs short. We knew the wicket was tough and we weren't looking to score too many. I'd like to take responsibility since my wicket was crucial at that juncture. Credit to the Delhi bowlers but hopefully we'll come back stronger in the coming games. The plan was to try and delay it as much as possible since you never know. The wicket wasn't an ideal one. Credit should go to the way they batted in the powerplay too. But we were certainly 15-20 runs short. We have to do well as a team and not just in the batting or in the bowling alone. If we can tweak these small things I feel we will start winning games soon. But on a wicket like this if the team fights with a small total it means we are playing some good cricket.
Delhi Capitals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets!
David Warner 57 (41) | Axar Patel 2/13 Jason Roy 43 (39) | Kuldeep Yadav 2/15
In the end, despite winning the game, it wasn't easy for the Delhi Capitals by any means. They skittled the Kolkata Knight Riders for 127 earlier in this game, but huffed and puffed on their way to chasing it down. Skipper David Warner and fellow opener Prithvi Shaw got their side off to a fabulous start and followed through as well, but it was in the middle overs that they lost their way.
The spinners of the Knight Riders, who bowled sixteen overs between them, made sure that the Capitals could not run away with the game. They had to struggle hard to come into their own, but some might say it was due to their shortcomings that they landed in such trouble. Skipper Warner threw his wicket away by playing a reverse sweep where it was not needed.
Middle-order batter Manish Pandey followed soon with a lofted shot where more prudence was required. A lot was expected from overseas stars Mitchell Marsh and Philip Salt, but they flattered to deceive. However, all is well that ends well. It was left to Kulwant Khejroliya to bowl a no-ball in the final over which allowed southpaw Axar Patel to hit the winning runs off the free hit that followed.
Hats off to the Knight Riders for taking this game right down to the wire and for not throwing in the towel. They bowled extremely well, especially their skipper Nitish Rana, who turned his arm over for two big wickets, as did Varun Chakravarthy and Anukul Roy, who chipped in their own ways. The Knight Riders will go away from this game with a lot of confidence whereas the Capitals will hope that they can finish games off in the future without taking them this deep.
What a win for the Capitals! It wasn't easy for them by any means but they did it.
19.2 Kulwant Khejroliya to Axar Patel, THAT IS THAT! Axar gets the job done! Full toss angling into leg stump as Axar swings across the line. Doesn't connect well enough as it drops between long on and deep mid-wicket who converge as the batters ease back for the second. It was a long stretch and it went down to the wire but eventually, Delhi Capitals break their duck and register their first points for the season with a 4-wicket victory!
Oh no! Khejroliya has bowled a no-ball! Unforgivable at this stage of the game.
19.2 Kulwant Khejroliya to Axar Patel, very full and tailing into the pads as he aims for the block hole. Axar shovels out a flick to deep mid-wicket but that's very lazy from the boundary rider who takes his own sweet time to swoop in, allowing the batters to run a second. And uh oh - Khejroliya has overstepped! The crowd comes to life at last!
Axar is safe there! 5 runs needed now.
19.1 Kulwant Khejroliya to Axar Patel, PUTS IN THE DIVE! Perfect yorker on leg stump as Axar clears his front leg and shovels it out to short fine leg who misfields as he slides to his left. He palms it away and that allows the batters to return for the second although Axar has to dive for his life here. Referred upstairs for a run out check.
Axar has managed to make it back on time thanks to the dive. 5 needed off 5!
Kulwant Khejroliya [1-0-13-0] will bowl the final over.
7 needed off the last 6 balls! We are going right down to the wire. Hold on to your seats, folks- this is going to be interesting!
19
overs
121/6score
1
1
1
1
0
1
runs
Axar Patel*
13(19)
Lalit Yadav
4(7)
Nitish Rana
2/17
18.6 Nitish Rana to Axar Patel, fired into the off stump on a full length. Axar swings down the ground and crosses over for a lone run. DC require 7 off the last over!
A stumping chance, but Axar got back in time! 8 from 7 now.
18.5 Nitish Rana to Axar Patel, HAS HE STUMPED HIM? Referred upstairs! Fired into the block hole outside the off stump as Axar steps out. He jams his bat across late before Das collects it low owing to a bump, although he's a little late to react and dislodge the bails. Has it given Axar enough time to get back?
Yes it has! Das fails to get it done again and Axar will carry on!
18.4 Nitish Rana to Lalit Yadav, length delivery on leg stump. Lalit skips down the track to work it to long on for a single
18.3 Nitish Rana to Axar Patel, full outside leg stump as Axar looks to swipe it across the line. The ball rolls around the corner to short fine leg for a single again
18.2 Nitish Rana to Lalit Yadav, fires it into middle stump as he shortens his length. Lalit is on the front foot though as he works it on the up to long on for a lone run