Kolkata Knight Riders' Performance Overview

In an IPL match held on Tuesday, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) began with a powerful opening but faltered in the middle, ultimately scoring 204 runs for nine wickets against the Delhi Capitals (DC).

Entering the match with three defeats in their last five games, KKR's opening pair, Sunil Narine (27) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (26), set a season-high opening partnership of 48 runs in just 17 balls after DC captain Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bowl.

Despite the strong start, KKR struggled during the middle overs, managing only 45 runs in the final five overs as DC tightened their grip in the death overs.

On a more favorable batting pitch than their previous game, Narine aggressively attacked Dushmantha Chameera (1/46), scoring 25 runs in one over, which included two sixes and a four.

Gurbaz also made an impact against Mitchell Starc, hitting two boundaries and a six before being caught by Abhishek Porel in the third over, ending their partnership.

Captain Ajinkya Rahane (26) maintained the momentum, hitting a six and a four off Starc, and adding more boundaries against Mukesh Kumar, bringing KKR to 79/1 at the end of the powerplay.

However, the middle overs saw KKR struggle as DC's spinners made a comeback.

Vipraj Nigam (2/41) dismissed Narine leg-before, while Axar Patel quickly took out Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer (7), leaving KKR at 117/4 after 10 overs.

Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44) and Rinku Singh (36) steadied the innings, forming a partnership of 61 runs off 46 balls. Raghuvanshi hit two sixes off Nigam, while Rinku targeted Kuldeep Yadav for two boundaries and a six in a 17-run over that helped KKR surpass the 150-run mark.

A moment of controversy arose when wicketkeeper Porel did not support Axar's appeal for a catch down the leg side against Rinku, which UltraEdge later confirmed showed an edge.

KKR maintained a run rate above 10 for most of the innings but lost their rhythm as both Raghuvanshi and Rinku fell in quick succession to Chameera and Nigam, respectively, just as they were looking to accelerate.

Andre Russell contributed with two fours and a six, pushing KKR past the 200-run mark. However, KKR lost three wickets in consecutive balls, with Starc claiming two wickets in a dramatic final over.