New Delhi: Delhi Capitals (DC) registered their first victory in the IPL 2023 after defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by four wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. The Delhi Capitals dismissed the Kolkata Knight Riders for 127 before chasing down the total in 19.2 overs.
Experienced pacer Ishant Sharma made a memorable comeback in the IPL, claiming two wickets in the match against KKR. The 34-year-old proved his mettle in his comeback IPL match in nearly two years, clocking 140 kmph-mark during his four-over spell. He finished with 2-19 and was named 'Player of the Match' as Delhi Capitals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets and four deliveries.
"Ishant was very accurate with the ball. And you also gain confidence when you enter the field with an experienced player. He knows the conditions well in Delhi and gave us important breakthroughs. I have massive respect for him as he produced such a performance after being unwell for a week," Delhi Capitals' wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was quoted as saying by Delhi Capitals.
Kuldeep Yadav, who registered figures of 2/15, spoke about the importance of the victory and said that the first win in the tournament is always important to gain momentum. "The first win is always important to gain momentum. We bowled very well against Kolkata Knight Riders. It was a great effort from our side to restrict them to 127," he said.
The Delhi franchise was in a spot of bother when Manish Pandey and Aman Khan fell in quick succession during the team's chase. When asked about the same, Kuldeep said, "We lost back-to-back wickets at one point in the game. But we weren't too tense as there were few runs to get. Axar and Lalit finished the game for us. You always have to fight for your first win and we did that."
Speaking about his own bowling performance, Kuldeep said, "I am really happy that my contributions have helped the team win. If I am bowling well and our team is not winning, my performance doesn't matter."
Delhi Capitals finally got off the mark on the points table, after five losses, after they beat Kolkata Knight Riders in Match No. 28 of IPL 2023 at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. A collective bowling performance, where four bowlers picked up two wickets each, helped DC bowl KKR out for 127.
David Warner then led from the front with the bat with 57 off 41 and Axar Patel played a crucial knock of 19* off 22 to hold his nerve and take DC past the finish line after KKR had fought back to take the match down to the wire. (ANI)
