IPL 2023: Injury list mounts for IPL franchises with Williamson, Topley ruled out
The ongoing 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been marred by several injury setbacks, leading to some key players being ruled out of the tournament.
Despite facing a challenging target and struggling with their batting, Delhi Capitals managed to secure a crucial victory over Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets in the IPL match on Thursday. Led by skipper David Warner’s impressive knock of 57 off 41 balls, DC were able to chase down the target with four balls to spare.
The DC bowlers had earlier put in a collective effort, restricting KKR to a modest total of 127 on a pitch that favoured both pacers and spinners. Axar Patel performed a crucial part in helping his team win despite having a groin strain. With this victory, DC stay alive in the tournament after suffering five consecutive defeats.
In the powerplay, Ishant, Nortje, and Mukesh claimed a wicket. Litton Das, making his debut for KKR, was dismissed while trying to pull Mukesh, followed by Venkatesh Iyer, who fell for a duck when he was caught at slip off a delivery from Anrich Nortje.
Ishant was the most impressive bowler in the powerplay, bowling accurately at a high pace to keep the batters under control. His hard work paid off when Nitish Rana failed to clear mid-on and was caught in the sixth over. The Knight Riders suffered another top-order collapse, losing Mandeep Singh and Rinku Singh to Axar, making the score 64 for 5.
After two overs of picking up singles, they received a boost from a 15-run over by Mitchell Marsh, which provided Knight Riders with some hope of a strong finish. However, Jason fell for 43 in the 15th over to Kuldeep, leaving Knight Riders at 93 for 8, which quickly became 96 for 9 after Nortje dismissed Umesh Yadav.
In the final over, Knight Riders were at 108 for 9, but Mukesh had difficulty nailing his yorkers. Russell responded by smacking him for three consecutive sixes, allowing the Capitals to chase 128.
A delayed match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium saw the Kolkata Knight Riders struggle to 127 while the Capitals chased the target down with four wickets and as many deliveries to spare. DC’s batting struggled again, except for Warner, but a low score helped as the pitch made strokeplay difficult.
Warner hit 10 boundaries in the batting powerplay to secure his team’s first win, while KKR’s spinners struggled to stop him. The Capitals skipper David Warner laid the foundation for the chase with a match-winning 41-ball 57, including a 25-ball 45 with in the PowerPlay.
Despite a minor collapse, Warner’s performance ensured the Capitals’ victory, with Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav finishing the job. Despite a groin strain, Axar Patel took his team to victory. Warner’s contribution also saw him move up to second place in the race for the Orange Cap with 285 runs. The victory doesn’t change DC’s position on the points table, but it gives them hope.