IPL 2018, DD vs KKR: 3 masterstrokes from the game

Delhi Daredevils clashed against Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Feroz Shah Kotla, and it turned out to be a riveting encounter. Delhi Daredevils were desperately in need of a victory after suffering a loss at home against Kings XI Punjab at home.

Similar was the case with Kolkata Knight Riders who lost their previous game against Kings XI Punjab in a rain-curtailed encounter. In the end, Delhi held their nerve, despite a blitz from Andre Russell.

Batting first on a slow wicket, Delhi put up a mammoth score of 219/4 in their allotted 20 overs largely due to a thunderous knock by Shreyas Iyer (93* of 40 balls).

In reply to Delhi’s 219, KKR lost early wickets but a blitz from Andre Russell kept them in the hunt until the 18th over when Russell was bowled by Avesh Khan. In the end, Delhi went on to win the game by 55 runs.

In a match that ebbed and flowed, let us look at the three masterstrokes that literally turned the game in Delhi’s favour.

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#3 Gambhir dropping himself for this game

In sport, a change of leadership can bring wonders to the team. Gautam Gambhir made a bold decision a few days back when he announced that he would step down as captain for Delhi Daredevils and the mantle would be handed over to Shreyas Iyer for rest of the season.

To everyone’s surprise, Gambhir decided to sit out for this game and this turned out to be a masterstroke.

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy was a breath of fresh air and Delhi Daredevils registered their first win at home in an important encounter. The youngster played a captain’s knock in helping his team put up a solid total on the board.

He followed it up with some excellent tactics on the field, be it field placements or bowling changes, which helped Delhi win the game.

#2 Bowling changes at important junctures of the game by the Delhi captain

In his first game as captain, Shreyas Iyer made some courageous bowling decisions which turned the course of the game. KKR were chasing a tough target of 220 runs with a required run rate of 11 runs per over.

Glenn Maxwell was introduced in the second over of the innings against the dangerous batting pair of Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn, and this proved to be a masterstroke as Maxwell removed the dangerous Chris Lynn on the 5th ball of the second over. Lynn tried to hit across the line but the ball skidded on to hit the stumps.

Shreyas Iyer persisted with Trent Boult, who picked up Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine in the 3rd over of KKR’s innings. Sunil Narine (26 of 9 balls), in particular, was looking in ominous touch until he was caught by Iyer inside the inner ring of a short delivery from Trent Boult.

The game was in the balance until the 16th over, which turned out to be the game-changing over of the match. Andre Russell and Shubman Gill stitched together a 64-run partnership until Gill was run-out trying to steal a single from the point region. Gill was short of the crease and the partnership was broken.

Shivam Mavi didn’t last long as he was bowled on the last ball of the over of a wrong one from Amit Mishra. This over from Mishra yielded just a leg bye and the game swung towards Delhi.

In the next over, Andre Russell received a barrage of short deliveries from Avish Khan and the West Indian couldn’t connect. Finally, he was clean bowled off a yorker on the 5th ball of the over for a breezy 44 of 30 balls, which consisted of 3 boundaries and 4 maximums.

This was the final nail in the coffin and it ensured Delhi had an easy win at the end.

#1 The captain leading from the front

In a must-win game and under huge pressure as a captain, Shreyas Iyer played the innings of his life. Iyer, who almost won the game the other night against Kings XI Punjab, made amends by showing no mercy towards the Kolkata bowlers.

It all started with openers Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro, who put up a quick-fire 59-run stand in 7 overs. Iyer joined Prithvi Shaw in the 8th over and both the youngsters stitched together a partnership of 68 runs in 42 deliveries. Once Shaw was dismissed for a well-made 62 runs, Shreyas Iyer threw caution to the wind and smoked the Knight Riders bowlers all over the park.

He, along with Glenn Maxwell, put up a 73-run partnership for the 4th wicket in just 31 deliveries. Iyer was the aggressor among the two as he smashed boundaries at will. He targeted the likes of Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav by smashing sixes of them straight down the ground.

He was ruthless against Shivam Mavi in the last over of the innings as he smashed the young bowler for 4 huge sixes and a boundary. The last over yielded 29 runs and the momentum shifted towards Delhi Daredevils as they posted a daunting total of 219 in the allotted 20 overs.

Shreyas Iyer’s knock of 93 came of just 40 balls. It comprised of 10 maximums and just 3 boundaries. This counter-attacking knock not only propelled Delhi’s total to 219 but also took away Kolkata’s chances of winning the game. For his all-around effort, Shreyas Iyer was awarded Man of the Match.