RAIPUR: David Warner fired yet again as Delhi Daredevils chased down a tricky target of 137 with ease after initial hiccups against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Veer Narayan Singh stadium here on Wednesday night.
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After their experienced duo of Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene failed to get going once again, it was left to Warner and the young Unmukt Chand to guide the team home with 13 balls and seven wickets to spare.
Warner (64 not out), who has been is tremendous form, struck his fourth half-century this season to take his team to their third win in 10 matches and keep their faint hopes of a berth in the playoffs alive.
It was not a particularly imposing target to chase but when Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene were caught out in the slips, there was pressure on Warner and Unmukt (37). But the duo ensured that there were no setbacks as they built a stand of 95 which sealed the match.
Warner has the experience and the maturity to deal with tight situation, but the way Unmukt batted must have gladdened the hearts of the DD management. It was the difference in the fielding standards of the two teams which, however, made a telling impact on the match.
While DD plucked some excellent catches, KKR just disintegrated in the field, letting off both Warner and Chand. KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir had a particularly bad day in office. He was run out without facing a ball and dropped a sitter offered by Sehwag.
However, defending a not-too-big total, he showed an aggressive intent and kept a slip in place till the ninth over. That move paid dividends as both Sehwag and Jayawardene were caught by the lone slip.KKR, however, let off a fine opportunity when Manvendra Bisla missed a stumping chance against Warner. From thereon, the DD batsmen slowly took control of the game and gained a crucial win.
When KKR opted to bat first, they lost their top half with just 50 on the board, by the 10th over. They were able to post a fighting total thanks the likes of Rajat Bhatia, Debabrata Das, Sumit Narwal and Brett Lee as KKR added 86 runs in the final 10 overs.
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