IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders slide into the final with a three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals

IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders slide into the final with a three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals

It is the Kolkata Knight Riders who will fight against Chennai Super Kings in the final of the Indian Premier League 2021. The Knight Riders scripted a last-over victory over the Delhi Capitals by three wickets in the second semi-final. The second semi-final commenced with Kolkata skipper Eoin Morgan winning the toss and opting to chase the score. 

Put to bat first, Delhi Capitals got off to a decent start. Both the opening batters including Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw looked in good touch. However, Varun Chakravarthy gave the first breakthrough to the Knight Riders by sending Shaw back to the pavilion when he was playing at 18.

The Capitals played a gamble by sending Marcus Stoinis on number three. However, the move didn’t work and the Australian all-rounder had to go back after adding just 18 runs. This was followed by a few quick wickets for the KKR contingent. Though Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer showed some form with the willow, they failed to accelerate their innings. 

Dhawan was the highest run-getter for 2020 runner-up with a knock of 36 runs as DC ended up with 135 runs on the scoreboard in their 20 over. For Kolkata, Varun was the pick of the bowler with two wickets to his credit. Shivam Mavi and Lockie Ferguson also had one each to their name.

Venkatesh Iyer takes Kolkata Knight Riders home

Kolkata Knight Riders

Chasing 136, Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a blistering start. The opening pair of Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer caused carnage on the field. Iyer smashed 55 runs off 41 deliveries while Gill also added 46 runs to the scoreboard. A 96-run opening stand in 12.2 overs put KKR in a commanding position in the chase and made them the favorites to win.

However, it was the same old story for KKR in the middle overs. There was another collapse of Kolkata’s middle-order as the team soon went from 96-0 to 129-5. It was brilliant bowling by Delhi Capitals as all the five bowlers lived up to their reputation and hardly gave anything away while picking timely wickets. 

In the end, the equation boiled down to KKR needing seven runs off six deliveries. Ravichandran Ashwin had the ball in his hand with Rahul Tripathi and Shakib Al Hasan in the middle. Ashwin showed exceptional skills in the final over as he took two back-to-back wickets in the form of Sunil Narine and Shakib.

However, in the end, it was KKR who had the last laugh as Rahul Tripathi managed to hit a maximum over outside off to help Kolkata win by three wickets. 

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