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Cricket

'Tough times don't last tough people do'- Kuldeep Yadav star as Delhi beat Kolkata by 4 wickets

Kuldeep Yadav exhibited a match-winning spell of 4 for 14 to help his team return to winning ways on Thursday.

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Delhi

Delhi: (Image Source: BCCI/IPL)

Delhi returned to winning ways after beating Kolkata by 4 wickets on Thursday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Riding on Kuldeep Yadav’s four-wicket haul, Delhi restricted Kolkata to a modest score of 146 runs at the end of the first innings. Kolkata, once again, came out with a new opening pair but that didn’t work as well.

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Both Aaron Finch (3 off 7) and Venkatesh Iyer (6 off 12) walked back to the pavilion without making useful contributions. Kuldeep Yadav then picked the wicket of Indrajith and Narine in consecutive deliveries in the 8th over to leave Kolkata in deep trouble. Inside the first eight overs, Kolkata had lost 4 wickets for just 35 runs.

Nitish Rana then stitched hands with Shreyas Iyer and the duo added 48 for the fifth wicket before the skipper departed while trying to cut a wide delivery to Kuldeep Yadav in the 14th over. Shreyas Iyer made vital 42 runs in 37 balls. Three balls later, Kuldeep Yadav had Andre Russell stumped to make things worst for Kolkata.

Nitish Rana, however, held firm at one end and helped the team reach a reasonable score of 146 runs at the end of the first innings. He scored 57 runs in 34 balls, a knock which was studded with 3 fours and 4 sixes. Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball for Delhi, picking 4 for 14 in 3 overs. Mustafizur Rahman (3 for 18) also returned with impressive figures.

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In pursuit of the modest score, Delhi didn’t make a great start. Umesh Yadav sent Prithvi Shaw back to the hut on the very first ball of the second innings. Mitchell Marsh, coming in at three, looked to be aggressive right from the onset of his innings. He struck a couple of fours before flicking the ball straight to Venkatesh Iyer’s throat. Delhi had lost both Shaw and Marsh inside the first two overs with only 17 runs on the board.

David Warner, however, held firm at one end and kept picking boundaries at regular intervals. Warner and Lalit Yadav made a great recovery and Delhi were cruising at 80 for 2 after 9 overs. However, the man in form, Umesh Yadav came into the attack and turned the game, once again. He had Warner (42 off 26) caught at fine-leg. In his very next over, Umesh Yadav accounted for the wicket of Rishabh Pant to bring Kolkata back into the game.

However, valuable contributions from Axar Patel (24 off 17) and Rovman Powell (33 off 16), in the end, meant Delhi reach home in 19 overs. With that, Delhi have now registered 4 wins in 8 matches. Kolkata on the other hand, suffered their fifth consecutive defeat in the tournament. Fans were pretty impressed with Delhi’s collective effort with both bat and ball. They hailed Rishabh Pant and Co. for bouncing back and keeping themselves in the race for the playoffs. Here’s a look at some of the best reactions:

 

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