(CMC) – Andre Russell clobbered a late order cameo but his fireworks went in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders returned to their losing ways with a seven-wicket defeat to Shimron Hetmyer’s Delhi Capitals here yesterday.
The broad-shouldered Jamaica and West Indies star carved out an unbeaten 45 off 27 balls to power KKR to 154 for six off 20 overs at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Opener Shubman Gill hit 43 off 38 deliveries but the remainder of the batting flopped, paving the way for Russell’s dominance after entering at number six.
Any hopes of a victory were then quickly squashed, however, as the exciting Prithvi Shaw blasted 82 off 41 deliveries in a 132-run opening partnership with Shikhar Dhawan who made 46 from 47 balls.
Hetmyer was at the crease when victory was achieved, facing a single delivery but failing to score, as Delhi reached their target with 21 balls to spare.
The defeat for KKR was their fifth in six matches and it left them fifth on four points, six points off the top three of Chennai Super Kings, Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore who are separated only by net run rate.
Sent in, Gill provided the early momentum for KKR, striking three fours and a six, and putting on 25 for the first wicket with Nitish Rana (15) and 44 for the second wicket with Rahul Tripathi (19).
The demise of Tripathi in the 10th over led to a slump where four wickets tumbled for 13 runs, to leave KKR 82 for five at the end of the 13th over.
Russell, who arrived in the 11th over, then took control of the innings, striking two fours and four sixes in a 27-run sixth wicket stand and then in a 45-run unbroken seventh wicket partnership with Pat Cummins (11 not out).
In the penultimate over by South Africa seamer Kagiso Rabada which leaked 18 runs, Russell struck successive sixes off the last two deliveries before carting the final ball of the innings from pacer Avesh Khan for another six.
In reply, Shaw belted 11 fours and three sixes in a whirlwind knock while Dhawan punched four fours and a six, as Capitals dominated the run chase.
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard hit an eight-ball 16 not out to put the finishing touches on Mumbai Indians’ seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.
Chasing 172, Mumbai got an unbeaten 70 off 50 balls from South Africa opener Quinton de Kock while Krunal Pandya hit 39 off 26 deliveries, before Pollard arrived to smash two fours and a six to end the contest with nine balls to spare.
Captain Sanju Sampson had earlier top-scored with 42 off 27 balls while England’s Jos Buttler weighed in with 41 off 32 deliveries, as Royals gathered 171 for four off their 20 overs.
