An inspired bowling performance by Shoaib Akhtar helped Kolkata Knight Riders score a 23-run win over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match here yesterday.
The win was the Kolkata side's fifth in nine matches while it also happened to be Delhi's fifth loss in nine games. The position of the teams in the table remains unchanged.
Shoaib, playing in his first IPL match follwoing the suspension of his five-year ban, took four for 11 to almost single-handedly ensure victory for the home side.
The Pakistani fast bowler picked up Delhi captain Virender Sehwag (0) off the second ball of the opening over, snapped Gautam Gambhir (10) in the fourth ball of his second over and grabbed AB de Villiers (7) and Manoj Tiwary (0) in succession in the the third and fourth balls of his third, to virtually derail the Delhi chase.
Chasing a modest 134 to win, Delhi were reduced to 28 for four by the fifth over and Shikar Dhawan (7) was soon cleaned up by Ashok Dinda to make it 43 for five in the middle of the eighth. Tillekeratne Dilshan (25 off 19) and Amit Mishra (31) tried to do some repair work but the damage had early been done.
Earlier, a lackluster performance by their batsmen allowed Delhi Daredevils to restrict Kolkata to a modest total of 133 for six. Delhi were finally bundled out for a paltry 110, their lowest total in the IPL, and with 13 balls left.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla finishing off the Delhi tail with three wickets in five balls.
Earlier, electing to bat, the hosts set the Delhi side an asking rate of 6.7 before a crowd of 50,000 at the Eden Gardens. Salman Butt (48) was the main scorer for the home team with the in-form David Hussey (31 off 31) getting moderate success in the slog overs.
