DC vs KKR, 47th Match at Kolkata, IPL, Apr 29 2024 - Ball by Ball Commentary

11:25pm Right, that will be all from us for tonight. A bit of an early finish, given this was done well before the last over. We will be back at it tomorrow as the Lucknow Super Giants take on the Mumbai Indians. Until then, this is goodbye from all of us here at ESPNcricinfo. Goodbye and take care!

Varun Chakravarthy, Player of the Match: It (the pitch) was holding a bit and you could see as the game progressed, it was turning more. (On the Rishabh Pant wicket and his match-up) The first ball, when the catch was dropped, I think that was a better ball. The ball that got him out, might have gone for six on any other ground. Cricket has become a game of fine margins. The Stubbs one (was my favourite). (On what happens in conversations between him and Narine) Silence (laughs). Mostly when something does not go well for me, he is always there. After conceding so many runs in the last game, it was a tough pill. Everyone, including Abhishek Nayar and Shahrukh Khan spoke to me and that was nice. (On him asking to spare a thought for the cheerleaders) Unfortunately that has become the trend and maybe they should dance only for the sixes and not for fours (laughs).

Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders captain: (On if he thought the pitch will play this way) Not at all, considering the last few matches. After the powerplay, the ball started spinning a bit, was helping the spinners and was tacky. Happy that we bowled first, we got an idea on how it was playing. (On having a chat with the openers beforehand) Sunny, not at all. Phil, he coms into the team meetings and he is completely engrossed into the game. Pure bliss to see the way he is performing. He (Narine) does not (attend team meetings), and I would recommend him to not come as well (smiles). He (Chakravarthy) was not at his best in the last few games. But today, coming in and delivering under pressure, that is what we demand. The way he turned up today was simply brilliant. We have been thinking about it (qualification) from match one, that has been our mindset. Just focussing on our work ethics and our performance.

Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals captain: (On his decision at the toss) I think that (batting first) was a good option but as a batting unit, we did not bat well enough. 150 was definitely below par. That is part and parcel of cricket. We have a long break ahead, where we can learn from our mistakes. Sometimes, it is just not your day. The way we were going, it was pretty nice. You cannot get away every time in T20 cricket. We were 40-50 runs short. (On the ideal target) I think anything between 180-210 would have been a good target. There was a lot of help for the bowlers but as a batting unit, we did not give them enough.

Phil Salt: Good to be contributing. We have had a good run of home games, nice to have that continuity of conditions. Had to bounce back from a tough last game. Pleased to see the bowlers put in that sort of performance, really pleased for them. (On his attacking approach) It is high-risk but it is also about putting the odds in your favour and not taking the risks you don't want to. You just have to keep backing yourself and keep taking the right options. Very helpful to keep on it first and see what it is doing. So, when you come out, you have a fairly good idea of how the surface is playing. (On his conversations with Narine) Off field, we have a laugh. On the field, not a lot. We usually do the talking a day before. He (Narine) does not talk much but he is a deep thinker of the game. (On them taking turns to attack) That is also part of the communication. If one of us gets going, you feed the strike to the other person. Good that we are on the same page like that.

11pm A fairly one-sided contest in the end. It did feel that way at the innings break, and once Salt tore into the DC bowlers inside the powerplay, it quickly became clear that there would be no twists. In fact, Salt's onslaught was so severe that Narine barely had to hit a shot in anger throughout the powerplay, even as KKR ransacked 79 in the first six overs.

The Iyers, Shreyas and Venkatesh, then drove home that advantage, ensuring there were no further hiccups. The only downside to the run-chase was Rinku not making the most of his opportunity at No.3 but apart from that, everything else went to plan.

Nothing of that sort for the Capitals. They leaked too many boundaries when the field was up and by the time their spinners came into the attack, the game had passed them by. Axar and Kuldeep did show what might have been capable of, had they had more runs in the bank, but that is perhaps the only thing DC can cling on to from today's display. And that sums it up.

Just three needed now. Surely KKR will finish it this over? Rasikh goes over the wicket

Around the wicket to Shreyas

Around the wicket to Venkatesh too

20 needed off 36. How long will KKR take to get these? Can DC pick up a couple of wickets to delay what now seems inevitable? Axar to bowl out