IPL 2018, DD vs KKR: 5 talking points

Delhi Daredevils got back to winning ways by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by 55 runs at Delhi. Put in to bat first by Dinesh Karthik, DD posted 219/4 on thanks to a monumental 93 from just 40 balls by their new skipper Shreyas Iyer and a brilliant 62 by Prithvi Shaw. This was DD's second-highest IPL total and their highest against Kolkata Knight Riders.

In reply, KKR lost a few early wickets before Andre Russell tried to bring them back by smashing a few sixes. However, some final bowling by the DD bowlers made sure that the two-time champions would fall short by 55 runs. This was the first time in 5 years that KKR lost an IPL match by more than 50 runs.

Let's take a look at five talking points of the match.

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#5 The dismal bowling performance of the Knight Riders

KKR's bowling was nothing better than disappointing against the Daredevils as they were subjected to a massive beating by the likes of Iyer, Shaw, Munro and Maxwell. Piyush Chawla was the cheapest of them all, conceding 33 runs from his 4 overs and picking up a wicket. Andre Russell also picked up a wicket but conceded 28 runs from his three overs.

The experienced Mitchell Johnson gave away 42 runs in his four overs. Even the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav went for aplenty. Narine conceded 35 runs from his three overs while Yadav conceded 22 runs from his two overs.

However, the worst of the KKR bowlers was Shivam Mavi who conceded 58 runs from his 4 overs. Provided the KKR bowlers produce a similar performance against RCB on Sunday or in any of their future games, things could go worse for them.

#4 Amit Mishra's disciplined spell

Mishra's spell consisted of a maiden

Most of the DD bowlers did a fine job but the best amongst them was the 35-year old Amit Mishra. Mishra began by conceding just 5 runs in his first over.

In his second over, Mishra dismissed KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik thanks to a simple catch by Trent Boult. His third over was pretty expensive as 11 runs came from it. However, he rebounded brilliantly by bowling a wicket maiden in his final over where he dismissed Shivam Mavi. Mishra ended his spell with 2/23.

Mishra's spell is enough to prove that he will certainly be in DD's scheme of things as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive.

#3 The poor show by most of the KKR batsmen

Karthik did not contribute much with the bat

164 is certainly not a bad total in T20 cricket but for KKR tonight, it wasn't a collective. Most of those runs came from Andre Russell, Shubman Gill and a cameo from Sunil Narine. The other batsmen were pretty much sloppy for the two-time champs.

With the target being 220, a lot was expected from Chris Lynn and he began with an early boundary. However, he was bowled a few minutes later by Glenn Maxwell. Sunil Narine began well and smashed a few sixes but he could not stand long and was eventually dismissed by Trent Boult. Robin Uthappa was simply terrible today as he scored just 1 before being sent back by Boult.

Nitish Rana was also lacklustre today as he scored just 8 before being dismissed by Avesh Khan. Skipper Dinesh Karthik couldn't add much either as he added only 18 runs to the total.

When a team has to chase down a target as high as 220, then the first five batsmen have to take the responsibility of adding as many runs as possible. However, that did not happen today.

#2 Prithvi Shaw scores big

Shaw scored a fine 62

In his previous match against Kings XI Punjab, Prithvi Shaw began well but could not capitalise on his start. Tonight, he not only began well but was able to convert his good start into a big score.

The U19 World Cup winning captain gave Delhi a swift start alongside Colin Munro. Following Munro's departure, Shaw stitched a partnership of 68 with Shreyas Iyer for the second wicket.

He played some brilliant shots as he scored his maiden IPL fifty. Shaw went on to score 62 from 44 deliveries before being bowled by Piyush Chawla. His innings helped DD reach a strong position by the end of the middle overs.

Having done well today, Shaw will be hoping to come up with similar performances as the tournament progresses.

#1 Shreyas Iyer's dream start to captaincy

Iyer was brilliant with the bat and captained well during the run chase

It came as a shock to many when Gautam Gambhir opted to step down from DD's captaincy but it was an even bigger shock when 23-year old Shreyas Iyer was appointed the new captain ahead of Glenn Maxwell who lead Kings XI Punjab last year.

However, Iyer's captaincy stint began in remarkable fashion. He was simply outstanding with the bat, scoring 93 from just 40 deliveries. Iyer hit 3 boundaries and smashed 10 sixes as DD reached 219, their second-highest IPL total.

Iyer's captaincy during the target defence was also pretty good as was reflected in his field settings and bowler rotation. The 23-year old was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match.

So, Iyer had a brilliant start as captain but only time will tell whether this will eventually turn DD's fortunes for the better or it was only beginner's luck tonight.