Kolkata: Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) put up a clinical performance with the ball to skittle out Delhi Daredevils for a mere 98 runs in 17.4 overs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.
Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg (3/19) and West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell (3/24) were the pick of the bowlers for KKR.
Quinton de Kock (17) as the highest scorer for Delhi.
The total was also the lowest in the tournament at the Eden Gardens ground.
The Daredevils got off to a flying start with 23 runs coming off the first two overs. However, in the third over Andre Russell struck a double blow for the hosts by picking up Quinton de Kock and Shreyas Iyer.
De Kock (17) perished trying to pull a short one while Iyer (0) was trapped right leg before wickets infront of the stumps.
By the end of the powerplay, Delhi had lost two more wickets in the form of Mayank Agarwal (9)and Karun Nair (3) with the score reading 35/4.
With the top-order back in the dugout, the Delhi innings moved forward at a snail’s pace. Pawan Negi after a brief partnership of 20 with Sanju Samson got stumped trying to push the accelerator.
The West Indies’ World T20 star Carlos Brathwaite too departed a little later after a monstrous six, foxed by a Piyush Chawla googly.
After 13 overs, the visitors were left struggling at 84/7 with their hopes pinned on Samson.
But he departed in the very next over edging one to the wicket-keeper.
Thereafter, it was only a matter of time before the Daredevils were bowled out and the inevitable happened in the 18th over.
–IANS