DC vs KKR

A body blow to DC's playoff chances who are just hanging in by a thread now, in the post-match chat skipper Axar Patel already spoke about looking ahead to the next season which tells you the state the DC camp is in. But, it is completely polar opposite in the purple camp who have now registered back-to-back-to-back-to-back 4 wins in a row to keep their campaign alive getting up to number 7. Two teams who are well in thick of the things as far as playoffs are concerned, RR and GT lock horns tomorrow in Jaipur. Should be a mouth-watering contest, make sure you join us. This is Sourabh Agrawal taking your leave on behalf of Pradeep and the entire team. Thanks a lot for your comments, good night!

And of course Finn Allen is the Player of the Match for his stunning maiden IPL century, 100* of 47 balls. This is what he had to say: (is this Finn Allen 2.0?) Yeah, I have been working on having more strings in my bow. Tried to knuckle down early, it was challenging early on, I tried to take it deep. That is my model, when it it tough give myself a chance. I have been working with Watto (Watson) and Abhishek (Nayar). Good to have success after some frustration

(Coming back into the side after being dropped) To be honest, I was putting too much pressure on myself. It gives you a chance to take some time and freshen up mentally

A beaming KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane has a chat now:  (what pleased him the most?) First of all, I am really happy for Finn Allen. He was struggling for the first 4-5 games, was working hard. I want to credit our bowlers, they have been bowling so well in the middle overs and brought us in this position. Our fielding coach is working hard with us too. 

(conversations with Sunil Narine) Just leave him alone. As a captain, I am very lucky to have Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy who do not need to be told what needs to be done. He is always there even in the practice sessions, always ready to share his experience and always ready to bowl. 

(turning it around) It is all about staying in the moment. Would like to give credits to our bowling coaches, Southee and Bravo. Really happy for Anukul, he has had a fantastic domestic season. Tyagi is a very confident guy. (on Varun's injury) He is okay, as long as Varun is bowling, he is fine. 

One match at a time

Cameron Green [Kolkata Knight Riders]: "(On the conversation during the partnership) There wasn’t much said out in the middle, to be honest. The message was simple—keep batting and keep going. I was happy playing the supporting role while he carried the momentum.(On ensuring his partner reached the hundred) Once the equation came down, I had already worked out the numbers and knew the best thing to do was get him back on strike. I probably would have been the most unpopular man in Kolkata if I had done anything else.(On the bowling unit’s recent performances) The bowlers have been outstanding throughout the tournament, especially the spinners. They’ve consistently controlled games for us, while the fast bowlers have supported them really well. As a unit, everyone has contributed at different moments.(On the team’s growing momentum) Winning games has been the most satisfying part, and the team is building strong momentum. But we’re not looking too far ahead yet. The focus remains simple—we still need to keep winning and take it one game at a time."

Axar Patel [Delhi Capitals captain]: "(On the team’s bowling and loss of momentum) I still feel we were slightly short on runs, and at the same time, we made mistakes against the spinners by giving away soft dismissals. But the biggest turning point was losing five wickets in the space of two or three overs. That completely shifted the momentum away from us.(On repeated batting collapses) It’s something we definitely need to address because a similar thing happened in the previous game as well. We started well, then suddenly lost wickets in clusters. While Ashutosh and I were batting, we spoke about how difficult it was for a new batter coming in because the pitch was still offering something. The key is to spend some time at the crease—once you settle in, batting becomes easier. In those collapse situations, it’s important to absorb pressure for an over or two rather than forcing the game.(On plans for the remaining matches) Right now, the focus is on understanding where we went wrong and learning from it. Looking ahead, we also need to think about the future and the combinations for next season. That gives us an opportunity to look at players on the bench and see who can be given chances in the remaining games."

10:31 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Kolkata Knight Riders (147/2 in 14.2 overs) beat Delhi Capitals (142/8 in 20 overs) by 8 wickets

Finn Allen 100*(47) | Kartik Tyagi 2/25(4)
Pathum Nissanka 50(29) | Axar Patel 1/27(4)

How about that for a finish? Finn Allen not only gets to a maiden IPL century but seals the fourth win in a row for KKR, he had failed to live up to his reputation in this season but boy hasn't he told us all once again what he can do! 10 thumping sixes in the hundred, 5 fours to accompany a completely dominant innings that has pretty much all but ended DC's season while keeping KKR alive and kicking

Huge smiles in the KKR camp, Allen has the helmet off as he soaks in all the celebrations. Green is absolutely stoked at the non-striker's end, Rinku is leaping in joy in the dugout, the entire KKR dugout is chuffed to bits. They have absolutely crushed DC, they win by as many as 34 balls to spare and in doing so give a massive boost to their NRR

143 was always going to be an under par total but the way Finn Allen has completely dominated proceedings is a story to behold. 67.5% of KKR's runs tonight came from the blade of Finn Allen who made it 12 individual hundreds in the season with an even split of 6-6 in wins and losses

DC needed some magic with the ball but none of their bowlers, except skipper Axar Patel, stood up. Starc was ineffective, Kuldeep and Vipraj were taken to the cleaners and the fifth bowler Mukesh came into the scene with just 3 runs needed. Cam Green (33*) played a lovely second fiddle at the other end after Rahane and Raghuvanshi were both dismissed in unfortunate ways in the powerplay making sure there was no stutter in the run chase

14.2 Mukesh Kumar to Finn Allen, SIX! YES, HE CAN! MAIDEN IPL HUNDRED FOR FINN ALLEN! And with that, KKR thump Delhi Capitals. It has been a comprehensive win for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Finn Allen, what an innings, this has been. He's single handedly blown away Capitals tonight. Back of a length on middle and leg, Allen powered it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum to seal the deal.

14.1 Mukesh Kumar to Cameron Green, back of a length, angling into the hips. Green tucked it to fine-leg for one. Hands over the strike back to Allen, can he get to his maiden IPL hundred?

A cheeky smile on Allen's face, he knows he missed out there having not picked the googly. Surely he will ask Green for a single here, right? 3 more needed, the entire KKR dugout is filled with smiles

13.6 Kuldeep Yadav to Finn Allen, OH DEAR! That hits the toe end of the bat, would've been all over had Allen connected it. Drops it short on the stumps, Allen rocks back to heave and was a touch early into the shot may be.