Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant notched up his second back-to-back fifty in the ongoing IPL 2024 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Vishakhapatnam.
Choosing to bat first, Sunil Narine got Kolkata Knight Riders off to a blazing start. The experienced all-rounder hammered 85 runs off just 39 balls, while newcomer Angkrish Ranghuvanshi also impressed with 54 runs off 27 deliveries.
Once Narine fell to Anrich Nortje, Andre Russell stepped up to the plate, batting at number four. Russell made a quick impact, smashing 41 runs off 19 balls. Rinku Singh then played a brisk cameo towards the end, contributing 26 runs off just eight deliveries.
Thanks to their aggressive batting display, Kolkata posted a formidable total of 272 runs, just five runs short of the highest team total in IPL history. In the chase, Delhi Capitals found themselves in trouble early on, losing four wickets with just 33 runs on the board. Rishabh Pant later revealed that their initial strategy was to attack, which may have contributed to their shaky start.
The wicketkeeper-batsman wasted no time getting into his groove, quickly notching up 20 runs in just six balls. He eased off the gas momentarily before launching into Venkatesh Iyer’s bowling, smashing him for 28 runs in the 12th over. That over saw him unleash two sixes and four fours, bringing up his fifty off a mere 23 balls.
However, his aggressive innings came to an end in the very next over bowled by Varun Chakravarthy, who dismissed him after a blistering 55 off 25 balls. This marks Pant’s second consecutive fifty in the ongoing IPL season. Following scores of 18 and 28 in the first two games, he delivered a match-winning performance of 51 against Chennai Super Kings last week.
Tristan Stubbs and Rishabh Pant came to Delhi Capitals’ rescue after a shaky start, both smashing impressive half-centuries and stitching together a crucial partnership of 93 runs. But once they were dismissed, Delhi’s fortunes took a nosedive. The team crumbled, managing only 166 runs in 17.2 overs. It was a disappointing turn of events as Kolkata Knight Riders emerged victorious by a whopping 106 runs, propelling them to the top of the points table.
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