An inspired bowling performance by Shoaib Akhtar helped Kolkata Knight Riders score a 23-run win over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match in Kolkata on Tuesday.
The win was the Kolkata side's fifth in nine matches while it also happened to be Delhi's fifth loss in nine games. The position of the teams in the table remains unchanged.
Shoaib, playing in his first IPL match follwoing the suspension of his five-year ban, took four for 11 to almost single-handedly ensure victory for the home side.
The Pakistani fast bowler picked up Delhi captain Virender Sehwag (0) off the second ball of the opening over, snapped Gautam Gambhir (10) in the fourth ball of his second over and grabbed AB de Villiers (7) and Manoj Tiwary (0) in succession in the the third and fourth balls of his third, to virtually derail the Delhi chase.
Chasing a modest 134 to win, Delhi were reduced to 28 for four by the fifth over and Shikar Dhawan (7) was soon cleaned up by Ashok Dinda to make it 43 for five in the middle of the eighth.
Tillekeratne Dilshan (25 of 19 balls with five boundaries) and Amit Mishra (31) tried to do some repair work but the damage had early been done.
Earlier, a lackluster performance by their batsmen allowed Delhi Daredevils to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to a modest total of 133 for six. Delhi were finally bundled out for a paltry 110, their lowest total in the IPL, and with 13 balls left.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla finishing off the Delhi tail with three wickets in five balls.
Earlier, electing to bat the hosts set the Delhi side an asking rate of 6.7 before a crowd of 50 thousand at the Eden Gardens.
Salman Butt (48) was the principal scorer for the home team with the in-form David Hussey (31 of 31 balls) getting moderate success in the slog overs.
Superb bowling performances from Glenn McGrath (4-0-22-0), Yo Mahesh (2 for 34) and Maharoof (4-0-25-0) ensured the Delhi batsmen got an easily attainable asking rate.
The Knight Riders could never get the momentum going, and only 10 fours came in their innings.
Butt and Aakash Chopra (13) made a sedate start, though the Pakistani executed several delightful shots square of the wicket and past the cover region.
Chopra, who was dropped by Gautam Gambhir in McGrath's second over, found it difficult to force the pace, and became the victim of a rather soft dismissal.
The right hand batsman played a casual shot as he tried to loft new ball bowler Pradeep Sangwan and offered a simple catch to Ferveez Maharoof at mid off.
Sourav Ganguly (7) walked in to loud cheers from the home crowd, and raised hopes of another magical knock as he hit Yo Mahesh for a six by making full use of a free hit, but the end came soon in the same over.
Mahesh delivered a good length stuff, which Ganguly played early, and the ball rattled the veteran's leg stump off his thighs, reducing the Knight Riders to 47 for 2 in the sixth over.
Joined by the in-form David Hussey, Butt tried to accelerate the pace, with back-to-back cover drive boundaries in the ninth over sent down by Mahesh.
Hussey began with deft placements, but the run rate slowed down in the middle overs, as only 26 runs came between the 11th and the 15th over.
Mahesh, meanwhile, tasted another success in the 14th over, with Butt top-edging to third-man to bring the curtains down on a 44-ball knock, which included seven fours.
Tatenda Taibu (7) continued his dismal show, while Laxmi Ratan Shukla (10) was also dismissed cheaply.
Hussey tried to slog it out, picking up two boundaries before holding out to Manoj Tiwary at long on, but in the end it was a below-par total.
