KKR collapses to give DD a 27-run win

Hello and welcome to the live commentary and match updates of the IPL clash that took place between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in Delhi on Saturday.

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As rain plays spoilsport in Hyderabad, delaying the toss between Sunrisers and Royal Challengers, have a read-through and get your kicks from the live commentary of this match, in case you missed it... well, even if you didn't miss it.

Delhi Daredevils captain says it was a little sticky with the new ball. Not under Morris's feet at the popping crease. Sorry, this will get old, I promise. Also, he's right: DD needs to get a good start at some stage in the tournament.

Man of the Match Carlos Brathwaite is as cheery as his voice is squeaky and his chest is narrow. Says he needed to recover after the monstrous 10th over he bowled for 22 runs.

And a masterful effort from Robin Uthappa could not make up for failures all around him. Zaheer Khan began the slide with two important wickets up front, and ended with figures of 3/21 in 3.3. overs. Amit Mishra bowled impeccably tight overs from one end and took a blinding catch to remove a dangerman in Andre Russell. Carlos Brathwaite added sheen to his leather-burning batting cameo with a three-for. And Chris Morris had a horrid birthday up until the last few minutes of the KKR innings, where he pulled off a sagacious run-out and two great catches at the boundary. All in all, Delhi played better cricket, while KKR collapsed more dramatically than Morris did on while running in during his first over. And Delhi climbs to second position in the points table now.

KKR 156 all-out after 18.3 overs (lose by 27 runs)

Shreyas Iyer is in the action again. Delivers a deadly blow to KKR now with a screaming direct-hit from Long-on to run Sunil Narine (4 from 3) out and then Morris drives the final nail in with a great catch in the deep to remove Umesh Yadav (2 from 3).

KKR 156/8 after 18 overs (S Narine 3 off 2 | U Yadav 1 off 1 || need 31 from 12 balls)

Morris strikes on his birthday. And runs Jason Holder (0 from 1) out at the non-striker's end with some real presence of mind. Holder was blinded by his own body there. Lost sight of where the ball had gone. Now, Uthappa (72 from 52) is also gone, with a mild-mannered cut-shot into Point's hands. That should spell the end for KKR, then?

KKR 151/6 after 17 overs (J Holder 0 off 0 | R Uthappa 60 off 47 || need 36 from 18 balls)

Uthappa does something to relieve the RRR pressure, by getting down on his knees and slog-sweeping Mishra for a giant six over Midwicket. And now, he is on his knees again, as he reverse-sweeps through the safest region on the ground — the 'keeper's legs — for four . Field changes happening rapidly here as the batsmen getting their long handle out. Russell bashes a googly through Midwicket for a four . But Mishra comes back with another googly that gets stuck into his hands after Russell (17 from 12) biffs it straight back at him.

KKR 136/5 after 16 overs (A Russell 13 off 9 | R Uthappa 60 off 47 || need 51 from 24 balls)

Shami bowling incredibly here in the context of the match. Dot balls abound with his changes of pace. But Russell now gets a meaty six over Midwicket to spoil the over somewhat. And more importantly, the over gets KKR 9 runs closer to their target. The required run-rate is ominous now at 12.75 an over.

KKR 127/5 after 15 overs (A Russell 6 off 4 | R Uthappa 59 off 46 || need 60 from 30 balls)

Mishra starts off with a wide. And now, Uthappa has now had enough of being tied down by the leggie. He skips down and tees off into the Long-off stands for a timely six . Brings up his fifty with that too. Can't time the next one for nuts and escapes. But then, he plays an exquisite drive/cut through the Covers to end the boundary on a healthy note.

KKR 113/5 after 14 overs (A Russell 5 off 2 | R Uthappa 48 off 42 || need 74 from 36 balls)

Chris Morris now takes a running catch along the Square-leg boundary (taking care not to slip across the ropes, I'm sure, given his skiddy shoes today) and Rajagopal Sathish (6 from 7) has to go after a wild pull.

KKR 102/4 after 13 overs (R Sathish 2 off 5 | R Uthappa 44 off 38 || need 85 from 42 balls)

Mishra is bowling brilliantly here today. Really mixing it up with his googlies and runs are at a premium in his overs. Just 3 this over.

KKR 99/4 after 12 overs (R Sathish 1 off 1 | R Uthappa 44 off 38 || need 88 from 48 balls)

Shreyas Iyer takes a tumble at Mid-on and finds Suryakumar Yadav's (21 from 13) miscued hoick. Brathwaite begins a very West-Indian celebration jig that Iyer looks totally at home with joining in for.

KKR 93/3 after 11 overs (S Yadav 21 off 12 | R Uthappa 39 off 34 || need 94 from 54 balls)

Mishra kept the batsmen quiet this over with googlies. Just 6 off it. KKR need to keep an eye on the run rate here.

KKR 88/3 after 10 overs (S Yadav 20 off 11 | R Uthappa 36 off 29 || need 99 from 60 balls)

Suryakumar Yadav now finds his touch, with a superb square-cut through Point for four . 10 come off it... Wait, the umpire is signalling a free-hit! Wha- ? Apparently, there were just three fielders inside the ring; good awareness from the umpire, that. And the free-hit goes for five wides + an immense six over Long-off. What a bonus! Brathwaite wishes he was a smaller man so he could slip into that crack in the ground from when Morris crashed down into it. Still too soon for jokes?

KKR 66/3 after 9 overs (S Yadav 6 off 5 | R Uthappa 34 off 27 || need 121 from 66 balls)

Suryakumar doesn't seem in great touch, going by the timing on his shots. Morris bowls a boundary-less over for 7 runs.

KKR 59/3 after 8 overs (S Yadav 1 off 1 | R Uthappa 32 off 25 || need 128 from 72 balls)

Pathan (10 from 9) is cramped up by Brathwaite and pulls it into Short Fine-leg's hands. Finally, Suryakumar Yadav comes in after an inexplicable embargo.

KKR 51/2 after 7 overs (Y Pathan 9 off 7 | R Uthappa 26 off 22 || need 136 from 78 balls)

Chris Morris now runs in to bow-.... Oh! A nasty skid at delivery stride leaves Morris on the ground with an ice-skier's dazed look. He's so zonked he even tries to feebly toss the ball into the non-striker's stumps to effect a Mankad. Woof. Looked real painful. I need to recover from that fall as much as Morris does.

Again. Chris Morris now runs in to bowl. And delivers a slow short one that Pathan pulls for one. Now, Uthappa has done his Mid-on flick for four . 8 runs this over. But a lot more entertainment, courtesy Chris Dumpty.

KKR 42/2 after 6 overs (Y Pathan 8 off 6 | R Uthappa 20 off 17 || need 144 from 84 balls)

Pathan frees his arms up with a lofted drive over Long-off for four . 10 runs come off it as the Powerplay comes to a close.

>News coming in that Murali Vijay will replace David Miller as Kings XI Punjab skipper. A bit early to lose hope in a promising batsman? Or are there hidden machinations here because Kings XI have been underperforming?

KKR 33/2 after 5 overs (Y Pathan 0 off 2 | R Uthappa 18 off 15)

And Chawla (8 from 5) is gone as soon as he came. Mistimes one to Mid-on and is trapped in front of the wicket by Zaheer Khan. Yusuf Pathan is now in.

KKR 28/1 after 4 overs (P Chawla 4 off 3 | R Uthappa 17 off 13)

Piyush Chawla comes in at no.3. Why not Suryakumar Yadav? Is maintaining a left-right combination so important? But Chawla strikes a beautiful drive over Mid-off for four to signal his intentions.

KKR 21/1 after 3 overs (P Chawla 0 off 0 | R Uthappa 15 off 10)

Zaheer continues. Bowling beautifully to the left-hander Gambhir, following him swing. While Uthappa drives on the up for a crashing four through Cover, Zak comes back and beats Gambhir (6 from 8) with change of pace and movement and induces a leading-edge for Short-Mid-off to pouch.

KKR 13/0 after 2 overs (G Gambhir 4 off 5 | R Uthappa 9 off 7)

Mohammad Shami bowls a speedy over which Uthappa signs off with a classy four flicked through Square-leg, all timing.

KKR 5/0 after 1 over (G Gambhir 2 off 3 | R Uthappa 3 off 3 )

Zaheer bowls a quiet first over to Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir, who are beginning watchfully.

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And Delhi Daredevils will be dancing in their dugouts right about now. Kolkata Knight Riders will be getting into a determined huddle. After the early wickets — and proper ones; Quinton de Kock and Shreyas Iyer have been mainstays of the Daredevil batting line-up — KKR will have been disappointed with their bowling performance. Giving away 186 runs is ok. But this was a slow track, on which the likes of Sam Billings proactively manufactured runs in his half-century on IPL debut, Karun Nair attacked relentlessly during his classy fifty and Carlos Brathwaite pummelled in all directions in a 11-ball cameo. KKR batsmen have been in good form. But they will need to match these performances if they are to get this challenging total. Meanwhile, there is always eternal optimism...

DD 186/8 after 20 overs

Last over now. What can Brathwaite do to further enhance his rapidly-rising reputation? Well, he can help himself to another thumped six over Midwicket. Russell unde pressure at the outset. But Russell comes through with yet another slower ball, and Brathwaite (34 from 11) plays a horribly miscued sweep into Short Fine-leg's hands. And what a maverick departs with Brathwaite. Shami and Pant now struggle with Russell's canny bowling and can muster up just four more before Pant (4 from 4) is run out off the final delivery of the innings.

DD 176/6 after 19 overs (C Brathwaite 28 off 9 | R Pant 1 off 1)

Brathwaite shows no respite. He has catapulted Yadav for another humongous six over Long-on. And then, another full-toss races away past the 'keeper off a wild inside-edge that missed the stumps only through an act of god. But what a comeback by Yadav — bowls the definitive in-swinging yorker with such precision, it gets wedged between middle-stump and the ground, as Billings (54 from 34) rashly attempts to sweep it.

DD 163/5 after 18 overs (C Brathwaite 17 off 5 | S Billings 54 off 33)

Now Brathwaite hits it more like himself. Absolutely smashes a googly over Square-leg for a huuuuge six . And then Billings walks up, and biffs a six over Extra Cover to reach his fifty. Boy, does this team have hitters, or what? Great innings by Billings.

DD 145/5 after 17 overs (C Brathwaite 8 off 2 | S Billings 45 off 30)

Now, Nair wants his share of six-hitting, and he lofts Yadav over Long-off for the most elegant six . But Yadav comes right back and cuts one back into Nair's (68 from 50) pads and sends him out LBW after a superb innings. And in comes the powerful Chris Morris, who endangered spectators last game. But this time, Morris (0 from 2) is sent back by Yadav and feather edge. Brathwaite comes in now. And gets a couple of uncharacteristically soft fours behind the wicket off his first two balls.

DD 131/3 after 16 overs (K Nair 62 off 48 | S Billings 45 off 30)

Now, Billings brings out the big guns. And they're huge. Sweeps big burly Jason Holder for a massive six over Square-leg. 11 runs off that over.

DD 120/3 after 15 overs (K Nair 59 off 44 | S Billings 38 off 28)

And Nair gets his fifty with yet another four through Square-leg. Gets very low for this next sweep to send it finer for another four . Then after a gaping wide from a rattled Narine, Nair reverse-sweeps through Point for a third four . Boy, can't be fun if you're a KKR fan. They had the early wickets.

DD 106/3 after 14 overs (K Nair 46 off 38 | S Billings 38 off 28)

Holder is back now. And is greeted with a uppercut slash for four by Nair. Some well-bowled slower ones keep the over down to 7 runs.

DD 99/3 after 13 overs (K Nair 40 off 34 | S Billings 37 off 24)

Hogg is bowling with all his experience, varying line, length and pace virtually every delivery to keep the batsmen guessing. He is succeeding, but Billings is somehow milking every ball. Nair at the other end is also quiety motoring away towards a useful fifty.

DD 92/3 after 12 overs (K Nair 38 off 31 | S Billings 32 off 23)

Billings has a real busy style of play and has really got his eye in now. One minute, he is clouting Chawla for four through Cover, and the next, he is battering him for four through Midwicket. Runs continuing to flow despite the early strikes by KKR.

DD 77/3 after 11 overs (K Nair 37 off 30 | S Billings 19 off 17)

Billings continues to use his feet well, and Hogg's variations are resulting in a constant flow of runs even if not boundaries.

DD 70/3 after 10 overs (K Nair 35 off 28 | S Billings 14 off 13)

Chawla is making awesome use of the slowness of the track, bowling short duds. But Billings is using his feet to work the ball into gaps and Nair is still peppering the Square-leg boundary with four s.

DD 61/3 after 9 overs (K Nair 26 off 22 | S Billings 7 off 7)

Phew. Brad Hogg, the AUSTRALIAN, into the attack now. Varies his speeds, so the batsmen can't get him away. 7 runs come off the over, though.

DD 54/3 after 8 overs (K Nair 26 off 22 | S Billings 7 off 7)

Umesh Yadav has a lot of West Indian features and bowling style. Can we consider this a continuation of the Windie bowling attack? Begins with four leg-byes though. Bowls a speedy over with a hint of swing, till he is crunched through Midwicket for four by debutant Sam Billings.

DD 43/3 after 7 overs (K Nair 25 off 21 | S Billings 1 off 2)

Narine now bowling with more flight and inviting the batsmen to go after him. But after a reverse-swept four first ball by Nair, the rest of the over is relatively quiet.

DD 37/3 after 6 overs (K Nair 20 off 16 | S Billings 0 off 1)

Russell is back with a much better length. Short does the trick sometimes on these slow tracks. But your line needs to be around middle-and-off, or you'll get pulled away through Square-leg for four by the likes of Nair.

DD 32/3 after 5 overs (K Nair 15 off 11 | S Billings 0 off 0)

Narine, yet another Windian, comes in now, and the pacers breathe a sigh of relief. Respite from the sun as well as Samson. And Narine does send Samson (15 from 15) back LBW on the final ball.

DD 30/2 after 4 overs (K Nair 14 off 8 | S Samson 12 off 12)

Holder seemed to have found some stability again as he starts off with a much better line and length. But Nair sends the final ball for four through Fine-leg.

DD 23/2 after 3 overs (K Nair 10 off 7 | S Samson 11 off 7)

Now Russell is infected by Holder's poor lines. Feed Kuldeep Nair on his legs and he will send it racing through Square-leg for four .

DD 13/2 after 2 overs (K Nair 1 off 2 | S Samson 10 off 6)

Jason Holder begins with a poor over and somewhat eases the pressure that his West Indian teammate Russell had built up with the first-over strikes. His radar all awry, he gifts extras and a couple of four s to Sanju Samson through the off-side.

DD 2/2 after 1 over (K Nair 0 off 1 | S Samson 1 off 1)

Andre Russell strikes really early, in the very first over, and sends back both DD's openers — Shreyas Iyer (0 from 1) with straight and full delivery that the pads prevent from smashing the wickets, and Quinton de Kock (1 from 3), who miscues a pull shot and is caught at Square-leg.

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Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and Gautam Gambhir decides to have a bowl on a hot Delhi afternoon. If it rains sixes, it wouldn't bring any cooling relief to the players.

Here's what Delhi Daredevils look like today...

Q de Kock†, SS Iyer, SV Samson, KK Nair, SW Billings, RR Pant, CR Brathwaite, CH Morris, A Mishra, Z Khan*, Mohammed Shami

And the Kolkata Knight Riders ...

RV Uthappa†, G Gambhir*, SA Yadav, AD Russell, YK Pathan, R Sathish, JO Holder, PP Chawla, UT Yadav, SP Narine, GB Hogg