We are set for Kolkata's reply! Rishabh Pant and his men are in a huddle before striding out to the middle.
The Delhi batters fought hard from the start. Prithvi Shaw was on the attack from the word go, while Shikhar Dhawan was still finding his rhythm. Once Shaw fell, Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis kept the scoreboard ticking without getting many boundaries but they both lost their way in the middle. Rishabh Pant too could not make an impact with the blade. Then came a stand between Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer who smacked some crucial runs at the fag end of the innings. Hetmyer was caught on
....THE RUN CHASE....
Shivam Mavi is up for a quick chat. He says that it is a chaseable score as there is some dew on the field. Adds that they have a fair idea of how to bowl on these kinds of pitches as they have played few games here previously. Signs off by saying that the team that plays well in the second innings will end up winning the game.
Right then. The Kolkata bowlers have done their job. Now, the onus is on their batters to chase down the target and book the last spot in the finale. Kolkata have chased every game successfully in the UAE leg and would hope there are changes in fortune. Will they get through to the final or will Kagiso Rabada and co do their magic on this track? Stay with us to find out.
It was a good show by Kolkata. Their bowlers and bowled good lines and lengths throughout. They made it difficult for the opposition to score freely. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up two wickets. He could have his third wicket but it turned out to be a no ball. Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi took a wicket each but were expensive in their last overs. But overall, Kolkata would be satisfied with their show with the ball.
How one evaluates the first innings would depend on one's point of view. We all know how difficult it is to score runs in Sharjah. The Delhi batters though kept their nerves and made sure they keep the runs ticking. Kolkata, on the other hand, their bowlers were on the money yet again. They kept things tight and kept chipping wickets at regular intervals.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! HAMMERED! Mavi ends up serving a full toss, outside off. Iyer shuffles across and hits it straight down the ground for a maximum. Delhi end at 135 for 5!
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Slower ball, fuller and outside off. Patel hits it to wide long on for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker again, on off. Hit down to long on. They want the second but decide against it in the end.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker, on off. Iyer plays it with soft hands to long on and sprints back for the second.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! In the gap! Slower ball, on a length, outside off. Iyer gets across and pulls it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Shivam Mavi (3-0-12-1) comes back to bowl the last over of the innings.
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Length ball, on off. Heaved to deep mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Shorter ball, on leg. Patel hits it past short fine leg for one.
Axar Patel is the new man in.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, on off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Flatter ball, on the pads. Worked past square leg for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, ! RUN OUT! Brilliant work by Venkatesh Iyer! Shorter ball, outside off. Shreyas Iyer cuts it straight to point and sets off for a run. Venkatesh Iyer fires a perfect throw to Dinesh Karthik, who takes the bails off. Shimron Hetmyer is nowhere in the picture.
Sunil Narine to Shimron Hetmyer, Darted on the pads. Shimron Hetmyer gets hit on the pads and the ball rolls away. One taken.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on off. Punched to long on for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, way outside off. Iyer leaves it. Wide called.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! That is punished by Shimron Hetmyer! Full ball, on off. He clears his front leg and whips it way over the mid-wicket fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Short of a length, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, around off. Iyer fails to get any bat on it.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer looks to smack it but gets the inside edge. The man at short fine leg dives and gets a hand to the ball. One taken.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! All the way! On a length, on off. Shimron Hetmyer gets low and hits it high in the air. The ball goes just over the square leg fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Iyer works it to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Fuller ball, on the pads. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Tossed up, on off. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to cut it away but ends up hitting in the air. The catch is taken but it is a Free Hit. The batters take one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, NO BALL! Shimron Hetmyer comes running back in! Tossed up, on off. He heaves it to wide long on. The fielder runs in and dives forward to take a very good catch. Shimron Hetmyer walks off the ground but the umpires check for the no ball. It is very close and the TV umpire decides that it is a no ball. Free Hit coming up!
Is that a no ball? They are checking it now but Shimron Hetmyer has walked off the ground. It is a NO BALL!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flatter ball, on the pads. Flicked past square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on leg. Iyer works it past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to reverse sweep but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out by Shimron Hetmyer.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed away to backward point.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, outside off. Iyer works it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! Now, Lockie Ferguson gets in the act! He bowls a shorter ball, on off. Pant backs away looking to pull it but gets the top edge as the ball bounces a bit more than he expected. It goes high in the air to mid off and it is taken by Rahul Tripathi. This has been a brilliant show by Kolkata and Delhi are in big trouble now.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer runs it to third man for one.
Shimron Hetmyer walks out to bat now.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pant comes down the track and hits it to mid off.
Time-Out! This is brilliant bowling by Kolkata. They have sent back Stoinis and Dhawan and now will be looking to strangle the batting side and not let them score freely. Delhi, on the other hand, would hope, the current pair keeps ticking and take it deep. Rishabh Pant walks out to bat.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Tossed up, on leg. Hit down to long on for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, ! Misfield in the deep! Tossed up, on leg. Pant sweeps it hard. The man from deep square leg gets across but the ball goes through his legs and goes to the fence.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed to covers.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! TAKEN! Varun Chakravarthy gets the big wicket of Dhawan and Delhi slide further here! This one is a googly, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track looking to slog it away. He is nowhere near the pitch of the ball but goes through the stroke. All he gets is the outside edge and the ball goes to cover. Shakib Al Hasan dives forward and takes the catch.
Varun Chakravarthy (2-0-12-1)Â is back on.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down and pushes it to long off for a run.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, NOT ! Good-length ball, on middle. Shreyas Iyer heaves it towards Shubman Gill at deep mid-wicket and looks for the second run. Gill runs from deep mid-wicket, collects the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end. He hits the stumps but Dhawan is well inside the crease as confirmed by the TV umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air, but lands just in front of the long on fielder. Good-length ball, around off. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but it goes off the toe end of the bat towards long on. The fielder comes running in from long on but the ball falls short of the fielder. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Good-length ball, angling in from middle. Shreyas Iyer blocks it out.
Is that a run out? Nope, Shikhar Dhawan is inside the crease.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but he miscues it wide of deep mid-wicket. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Back of a length, on middle. Shreyas Iyer works it to long on off the back foot for a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, A tad short, outside off. Shreyas Iyer stays back and cuts it towards deep cover for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, on middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Shakib fires it in on the pads. The ball stays low and it goes through Iyer's legs as he looks to pull it hard.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Tossed up, outside off. Shreyas Iyer reaches out and drives through covers for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Quicker ball, down leg. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but he misses and gets hit on his pads.
Change. Shakib Al Hasan (3-0-24-0)Â to bowl out here.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, A half-tracker, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan pulls it along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Worked to mid-wicket.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air....safe! Length ball, on off. Iyer looks to whip it away but gets the top edge. The ball goes over cover. The man in the deep gets to his right and the man from cover chases it but the ball lands safely. Two taken.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, NOT ! Tossed up, around leg. Stoinis looks to heave it across the line but misses. Karthik whips the bails off and the TV umpire is called in. The replays show Stoinis had dragged his foot outside the crease. But he gets it back in just before the bails are taken off.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, ! BOWLED! Mavi gets the wicket and Stoinis shakes his head while walking back! Length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis backs away to the leg side to cut it away. But gets the toe end of the bat and the ball crashes back on the stumps. This is a key moment in the game and Kolkata would look to strangle the batters further here.
Shreyas Iyer walks out to bat.
Shivam Mavi (1-0-3-0) comes back into the attack.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Short of a length, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan looks to cut but gets the outside edge to third man for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track and toe-ends it back to the bowler.
A stumping decision has been sent upstairs. Marcus Stoinis has his back foot grounded and it is NOT !Â
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan slaps it to deep point for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted on the pads. Tucked past mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted outside off. Punched to short cover.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Marcus Stoinis paddles it towards fine leg. The fielder gets to his right and keeps it down to a couple.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Fuller ball, on off. Swept away to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, on off. Dhawan comes down the track and pushes it to long off for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Loopy ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis chips it towards long off for a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, outside off. Pushed to deep point for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Dhawan gets a much-needed boundary for his team! Tossed up, outside off. He gets low and sweeps it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Good footwork by Venkatesh Iyer! Dhawan comes down the track and smacks it down the ground. Iyer runs across from long on and stops the ball with his feet. The man from long off gets across and throws it back. Two taken.
Varun Chakravarthy (1-0-2-1) comes back to bowl.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on off. Pushed down to long off for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Pushed down to long on for one. Just 3 from the over.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan pushes it past point for one.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, outside off. Dhawan looks to cut it away but misses.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan looks to work it away but gets the inside edge to short fine leg.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, around off. Dhawan looks to whip it away but gets the inside edge back on the pads.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on middle. Marcus Stoinis backs away and cuts it past covers for one.
Strategic Time-Out! This has been a decent start by Delhi. Yes, they have lost Shaw but a run rate of 6.5 here is good enough to start things. They would now hope to build a solid platform so the likes of Pant and Hetmyer can tee off in the death overs. But the next stage of the game will see Morgan using his spinners in tandem and they have been in sensational form. This should be an exciting contest.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis hangs back and cuts it towards sweeper cover. The batters take a single. Just 3 runs off the over!
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis punches it towards cover off the back foot.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Wide! Mavi errs in line and sprays this one way down leg. Marcus Stoinis lets it be. Wide called by the umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis rocks back and defends it towards cover.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Well bowled! Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Marcus Stoinis turns it to mid on.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis defends it to cover.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, on the pads. Shikhar Dhawan taps it towards mid-wicket and takes a quick run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and quicker, around middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan works it wide of mid on to collect a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, A tad short, around middle. Marcus Stoinis lofts it towards long on for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Quicker ball, down leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, ! Lovely shot! Tossed up, around off. Marcus Stoinis carves it over cover for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis drills it to long off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, TWO WIDE! A stumping chance has gone begging! Shakib Al Hasan sees Dhawan advancing down the track, he fires it down leg. Dinesh Karthik reaches out but fails to collect the ball cleanly. The batters cross over.
Shakib Al Hasan is back on. He went for 13 in his first two overs.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis looks to cut but he gets an inside edge and the ball goes to the left of the keeper for a run.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis tucks it to the leg side and collects a single. Delhi are 38/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Shikhar Dhawan flicks it to square leg to rotate the strike.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but the ball keeps low and goes past Dhawan's blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Good-length ball, angling in from outside off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back to cut but he misses as the ball zips past his outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis miscues his pull wide of mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson is back on. He went for 5 in his first over.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Back of a length, around off. Shikhar Dhawan hangs back and taps it towards backward point for a quick run.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, A tad short, around off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back and pushes it to long on for a run. Just 2 runs and a wicket off the over!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, around off. Shikhar Dhawan defends it out off the front foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Quicker ball, around middle and leg. Marcus Stoinis tucks it to the leg side to get off the mark with a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis works it to mid off, off the back foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Prithvi Shaw, ! LBW! Varun Chakravarthy strikes on his first ball and gets the much-needed breakthrough for Kolkata. A googly, around off, turning in sharply. Prithvi Shaw prods to block this one but he misses and gets rapped in front. Varun Chakravarthy puts in an appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Shaw has a word with Dhawan but does not review it. The replay shows that he is plumb and that was a good decision by the umpire.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis punches it to cover.
Marcus Stoinis walks out to bat now. It has been a while since he walked out on the field.
Change. Varun Chakravarthy comes in the attack now.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on middle. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Delhi have been on the attack against the spinners. Narine gives away 14 runs off his first over.Â
Sunil Narine to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and on the pads. Shaw clips it to mid-wicket for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Floated, full and outside off. Dhawan pushes it through covers for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Back-to-back maximums. Dhawan is in his groove now. Tossed up, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and slog-sweeps it over the square leg fence.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! BOOM! Dhawan capitalizes on the full toss. Full toss, on off. Dhawan gets on one knee and powers it over the square leg fence for a maximum.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, CLOSE! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dhawan looks to drive it away but misses.
Change. Sunil Narine comes on now.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, A dot to end the over! Full and on off. Shaw gets low and sweeps it to square leg but there is a man there. A good over for Delhi and they get 12 runs off it.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Finally Dhawan is off the mark. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and sweeps it through square leg for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, On off, pushed to mid off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Full and on off. Shaw sweeps it to square leg.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! SMACKED! Flatter and outside off. Shaw hangs back and cuts it past point for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! BANG! Shaw gets the first maximum of the game. At the other end, Dhawan is struggling but here, Shaw continues on his merry way. Tossed up, on middle. Shaw comes down the track and smokes it over the wide long on fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Dhawan's struggle continues. A length ball, around off. The ball nips in. Dhawan hangs back and looks to defend it out but misses. He gets rapped on the pads. Ferguson appeals but the umpire is unmoved. Going down leg probably.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Swing and a miss! Dhawan is struggling here. He is yet to get off the mark. Good length and outside off. Dhawan skips down the track and looks to cut it away but misses. The ball bounces over the blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Beautifully bowled by Lockie Ferguson. Good-length ball, outside off. Dhawan hangs back and looks to push it away but misses. The ball beats the outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, A single now! A length ball, on the pads. Shaw tucks it to mid-wicket and gets a single.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, BEATEN! Good reply by Lockie Ferguson. A length ball, outside off. The ball nips in a bit. Shaw hops and looks to push it to the off side but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, ! Shaw gets the first boundary of the game with a glorious drive. Full length and outside off. Shaw leans into it and carves it through covers for a boundary.
Who will start from the other end? Time for some pace as Lockie Ferguson is set to steam in.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Make it 4. What a start by Shakib Al Hasan. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Just 1 run off the over.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on off. Dhawan defends it onto the pitch. Three dots on the trot now!
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and on middle. Dhawan defends it to mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Loopy ball, on off. Dhawan defends it to short mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Shaw and Delhi are off the mark. Slightly short and outside off. Shaw stays on the back foot and cuts it to the left of point. Nitish Rana there dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters cross.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and short, outside off. Shaw cuts it to point.
We are set for the clash! The umpires stride out to the middle. Eoin Morgan leads his side on the field. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walk out to bat for Delhi. Dinesh Karthik has his helmet on and is standing up as Shakib Al Hasan is going to start with the ball. Here we go...
Rishabh Pant, the skipper of Delhi, says that they would have bowled first too but there is no point in thinking over the toss too much. Informs Marcus Stoinis comes in for Tom Curran. Ends by saying that the players are in the right frame of mind and hopes that the guys enjoy out on the field.
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of Kolkata, says that they will bowl first. Mentions they have played a couple of games in Sharjah and that has worked for them before. Adds, there are no changes to the side. Also says, he hopes there is a bit of an advantage with them, but against this Delhi side, it should be a test. Mentions in the UAE leg, his players have played with fire and have put on a great show.Â
Delhi (Playing XI) - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Marcus Stoinis (In for Tom Curran), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.
TOSS UPDATE - Eoin Morgan and Rishabh Pant are at the middle for the all-important toss. The coin lands in favour of Morgan and Kolkata have elected to BOWL first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to all! It is time for Qualifier 2 in the Indian T20 League. In this game, Delhi will be locking horns against Kolkata. With Qualifier 2 comes the pressure and the fear of not being able to notch the last ticket to the final. Delhi had an opportunity to make it to the finale but they slipped against Chennai which is why they feature in this game. Kolkata, on the other hand, have certainly revived in the UAE leg of the competition. No one would have thought they would m
Delhi reached the finals for the first time last season in 2020. But they could not get over the line against Mumbai. Although, they have been a dominant side in this season of the Indian T20 League. They topped the league stage with 20 points and would be eager to move an inch closer to their maiden trophy win. Although, Delhi are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats. They still remain a very strong team.
Kolkata have been the comeback kings of the season and they are familiar with the Sharjah conditions, as they ended Bangaloreâs hunt in the Eliminator. Kolkata have also won all the games while chasing in UAE and would likely hope to repeat that if they chase here again. In their last game, Sunil Narine was back to his best form and caused a lot of trouble to the opposition with both the bat and the ball. Also, on paper, it looks like they have a deep batting lineup, which was seen in thei
PITCH REPORT - Ian Bishop is down for the pitch report. He says that it is very pleasant and cool out there. Adds that the highest score on this surface is 156 and it was made by Bangalore, but teams after that have not been able to cross 132. Matthew Hayden says that batting here should be a mix of playing fearlessly and sensibly. Adds that scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay is what the batters should target. Says that spinners will play a big role in this game and it will get challenging to sco
We are set for Kolkata's reply! Rishabh Pant and his men are in a huddle before striding out to the middle.
The Delhi batters fought hard from the start. Prithvi Shaw was on the attack from the word go, while Shikhar Dhawan was still finding his rhythm. Once Shaw fell, Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis kept the scoreboard ticking without getting many boundaries but they both lost their way in the middle. Rishabh Pant too could not make an impact with the blade. Then came a stand between Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer who smacked some crucial runs at the fag end of the innings. Hetmyer was caught on
....THE RUN CHASE....
Shivam Mavi is up for a quick chat. He says that it is a chaseable score as there is some dew on the field. Adds that they have a fair idea of how to bowl on these kinds of pitches as they have played few games here previously. Signs off by saying that the team that plays well in the second innings will end up winning the game.
Right then. The Kolkata bowlers have done their job. Now, the onus is on their batters to chase down the target and book the last spot in the finale. Kolkata have chased every game successfully in the UAE leg and would hope there are changes in fortune. Will they get through to the final or will Kagiso Rabada and co do their magic on this track? Stay with us to find out.
It was a good show by Kolkata. Their bowlers and bowled good lines and lengths throughout. They made it difficult for the opposition to score freely. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up two wickets. He could have his third wicket but it turned out to be a no ball. Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi took a wicket each but were expensive in their last overs. But overall, Kolkata would be satisfied with their show with the ball.
How one evaluates the first innings would depend on one's point of view. We all know how difficult it is to score runs in Sharjah. The Delhi batters though kept their nerves and made sure they keep the runs ticking. Kolkata, on the other hand, their bowlers were on the money yet again. They kept things tight and kept chipping wickets at regular intervals.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! HAMMERED! Mavi ends up serving a full toss, outside off. Iyer shuffles across and hits it straight down the ground for a maximum. Delhi end at 135 for 5!
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Slower ball, fuller and outside off. Patel hits it to wide long on for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker again, on off. Hit down to long on. They want the second but decide against it in the end.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker, on off. Iyer plays it with soft hands to long on and sprints back for the second.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! In the gap! Slower ball, on a length, outside off. Iyer gets across and pulls it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Shivam Mavi (3-0-12-1) comes back to bowl the last over of the innings.
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Length ball, on off. Heaved to deep mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Shorter ball, on leg. Patel hits it past short fine leg for one.
Axar Patel is the new man in.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, on off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Flatter ball, on the pads. Worked past square leg for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, ! RUN OUT! Brilliant work by Venkatesh Iyer! Shorter ball, outside off. Shreyas Iyer cuts it straight to point and sets off for a run. Venkatesh Iyer fires a perfect throw to Dinesh Karthik, who takes the bails off. Shimron Hetmyer is nowhere in the picture.
Sunil Narine to Shimron Hetmyer, Darted on the pads. Shimron Hetmyer gets hit on the pads and the ball rolls away. One taken.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on off. Punched to long on for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, way outside off. Iyer leaves it. Wide called.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! That is punished by Shimron Hetmyer! Full ball, on off. He clears his front leg and whips it way over the mid-wicket fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Short of a length, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, around off. Iyer fails to get any bat on it.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer looks to smack it but gets the inside edge. The man at short fine leg dives and gets a hand to the ball. One taken.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! All the way! On a length, on off. Shimron Hetmyer gets low and hits it high in the air. The ball goes just over the square leg fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Iyer works it to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Fuller ball, on the pads. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Tossed up, on off. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to cut it away but ends up hitting in the air. The catch is taken but it is a Free Hit. The batters take one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, NO BALL! Shimron Hetmyer comes running back in! Tossed up, on off. He heaves it to wide long on. The fielder runs in and dives forward to take a very good catch. Shimron Hetmyer walks off the ground but the umpires check for the no ball. It is very close and the TV umpire decides that it is a no ball. Free Hit coming up!
Is that a no ball? They are checking it now but Shimron Hetmyer has walked off the ground. It is a NO BALL!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flatter ball, on the pads. Flicked past square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on leg. Iyer works it past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to reverse sweep but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out by Shimron Hetmyer.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed away to backward point.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, outside off. Iyer works it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! Now, Lockie Ferguson gets in the act! He bowls a shorter ball, on off. Pant backs away looking to pull it but gets the top edge as the ball bounces a bit more than he expected. It goes high in the air to mid off and it is taken by Rahul Tripathi. This has been a brilliant show by Kolkata and Delhi are in big trouble now.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer runs it to third man for one.
Shimron Hetmyer walks out to bat now.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pant comes down the track and hits it to mid off.
Time-Out! This is brilliant bowling by Kolkata. They have sent back Stoinis and Dhawan and now will be looking to strangle the batting side and not let them score freely. Delhi, on the other hand, would hope, the current pair keeps ticking and take it deep. Rishabh Pant walks out to bat.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Tossed up, on leg. Hit down to long on for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, ! Misfield in the deep! Tossed up, on leg. Pant sweeps it hard. The man from deep square leg gets across but the ball goes through his legs and goes to the fence.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed to covers.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! TAKEN! Varun Chakravarthy gets the big wicket of Dhawan and Delhi slide further here! This one is a googly, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track looking to slog it away. He is nowhere near the pitch of the ball but goes through the stroke. All he gets is the outside edge and the ball goes to cover. Shakib Al Hasan dives forward and takes the catch.
Varun Chakravarthy (2-0-12-1)Â is back on.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down and pushes it to long off for a run.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, NOT ! Good-length ball, on middle. Shreyas Iyer heaves it towards Shubman Gill at deep mid-wicket and looks for the second run. Gill runs from deep mid-wicket, collects the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end. He hits the stumps but Dhawan is well inside the crease as confirmed by the TV umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air, but lands just in front of the long on fielder. Good-length ball, around off. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but it goes off the toe end of the bat towards long on. The fielder comes running in from long on but the ball falls short of the fielder. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Good-length ball, angling in from middle. Shreyas Iyer blocks it out.
Is that a run out? Nope, Shikhar Dhawan is inside the crease.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but he miscues it wide of deep mid-wicket. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Back of a length, on middle. Shreyas Iyer works it to long on off the back foot for a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, A tad short, outside off. Shreyas Iyer stays back and cuts it towards deep cover for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, on middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Shakib fires it in on the pads. The ball stays low and it goes through Iyer's legs as he looks to pull it hard.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Tossed up, outside off. Shreyas Iyer reaches out and drives through covers for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Quicker ball, down leg. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but he misses and gets hit on his pads.
Change. Shakib Al Hasan (3-0-24-0)Â to bowl out here.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, A half-tracker, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan pulls it along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Worked to mid-wicket.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air....safe! Length ball, on off. Iyer looks to whip it away but gets the top edge. The ball goes over cover. The man in the deep gets to his right and the man from cover chases it but the ball lands safely. Two taken.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, NOT ! Tossed up, around leg. Stoinis looks to heave it across the line but misses. Karthik whips the bails off and the TV umpire is called in. The replays show Stoinis had dragged his foot outside the crease. But he gets it back in just before the bails are taken off.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, ! BOWLED! Mavi gets the wicket and Stoinis shakes his head while walking back! Length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis backs away to the leg side to cut it away. But gets the toe end of the bat and the ball crashes back on the stumps. This is a key moment in the game and Kolkata would look to strangle the batters further here.
Shreyas Iyer walks out to bat.
Shivam Mavi (1-0-3-0) comes back into the attack.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Short of a length, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan looks to cut but gets the outside edge to third man for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track and toe-ends it back to the bowler.
A stumping decision has been sent upstairs. Marcus Stoinis has his back foot grounded and it is NOT !Â
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan slaps it to deep point for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted on the pads. Tucked past mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted outside off. Punched to short cover.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Marcus Stoinis paddles it towards fine leg. The fielder gets to his right and keeps it down to a couple.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Fuller ball, on off. Swept away to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, on off. Dhawan comes down the track and pushes it to long off for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Loopy ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis chips it towards long off for a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, outside off. Pushed to deep point for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Dhawan gets a much-needed boundary for his team! Tossed up, outside off. He gets low and sweeps it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Good footwork by Venkatesh Iyer! Dhawan comes down the track and smacks it down the ground. Iyer runs across from long on and stops the ball with his feet. The man from long off gets across and throws it back. Two taken.
Varun Chakravarthy (1-0-2-1) comes back to bowl.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on off. Pushed down to long off for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Pushed down to long on for one. Just 3 from the over.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan pushes it past point for one.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, outside off. Dhawan looks to cut it away but misses.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan looks to work it away but gets the inside edge to short fine leg.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, around off. Dhawan looks to whip it away but gets the inside edge back on the pads.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on middle. Marcus Stoinis backs away and cuts it past covers for one.
Strategic Time-Out! This has been a decent start by Delhi. Yes, they have lost Shaw but a run rate of 6.5 here is good enough to start things. They would now hope to build a solid platform so the likes of Pant and Hetmyer can tee off in the death overs. But the next stage of the game will see Morgan using his spinners in tandem and they have been in sensational form. This should be an exciting contest.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis hangs back and cuts it towards sweeper cover. The batters take a single. Just 3 runs off the over!
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis punches it towards cover off the back foot.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Wide! Mavi errs in line and sprays this one way down leg. Marcus Stoinis lets it be. Wide called by the umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis rocks back and defends it towards cover.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Well bowled! Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Marcus Stoinis turns it to mid on.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis defends it to cover.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, on the pads. Shikhar Dhawan taps it towards mid-wicket and takes a quick run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and quicker, around middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan works it wide of mid on to collect a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, A tad short, around middle. Marcus Stoinis lofts it towards long on for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Quicker ball, down leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, ! Lovely shot! Tossed up, around off. Marcus Stoinis carves it over cover for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis drills it to long off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, TWO WIDE! A stumping chance has gone begging! Shakib Al Hasan sees Dhawan advancing down the track, he fires it down leg. Dinesh Karthik reaches out but fails to collect the ball cleanly. The batters cross over.
Shakib Al Hasan is back on. He went for 13 in his first two overs.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis looks to cut but he gets an inside edge and the ball goes to the left of the keeper for a run.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis tucks it to the leg side and collects a single. Delhi are 38/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Shikhar Dhawan flicks it to square leg to rotate the strike.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but the ball keeps low and goes past Dhawan's blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Good-length ball, angling in from outside off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back to cut but he misses as the ball zips past his outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis miscues his pull wide of mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson is back on. He went for 5 in his first over.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Back of a length, around off. Shikhar Dhawan hangs back and taps it towards backward point for a quick run.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, A tad short, around off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back and pushes it to long on for a run. Just 2 runs and a wicket off the over!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, around off. Shikhar Dhawan defends it out off the front foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Quicker ball, around middle and leg. Marcus Stoinis tucks it to the leg side to get off the mark with a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis works it to mid off, off the back foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Prithvi Shaw, ! LBW! Varun Chakravarthy strikes on his first ball and gets the much-needed breakthrough for Kolkata. A googly, around off, turning in sharply. Prithvi Shaw prods to block this one but he misses and gets rapped in front. Varun Chakravarthy puts in an appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Shaw has a word with Dhawan but does not review it. The replay shows that he is plumb and that was a good decision by the umpire.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis punches it to cover.
Marcus Stoinis walks out to bat now. It has been a while since he walked out on the field.
Change. Varun Chakravarthy comes in the attack now.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on middle. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Delhi have been on the attack against the spinners. Narine gives away 14 runs off his first over.Â
Sunil Narine to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and on the pads. Shaw clips it to mid-wicket for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Floated, full and outside off. Dhawan pushes it through covers for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Back-to-back maximums. Dhawan is in his groove now. Tossed up, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and slog-sweeps it over the square leg fence.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! BOOM! Dhawan capitalizes on the full toss. Full toss, on off. Dhawan gets on one knee and powers it over the square leg fence for a maximum.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, CLOSE! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dhawan looks to drive it away but misses.
Change. Sunil Narine comes on now.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, A dot to end the over! Full and on off. Shaw gets low and sweeps it to square leg but there is a man there. A good over for Delhi and they get 12 runs off it.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Finally Dhawan is off the mark. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and sweeps it through square leg for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, On off, pushed to mid off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Full and on off. Shaw sweeps it to square leg.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! SMACKED! Flatter and outside off. Shaw hangs back and cuts it past point for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! BANG! Shaw gets the first maximum of the game. At the other end, Dhawan is struggling but here, Shaw continues on his merry way. Tossed up, on middle. Shaw comes down the track and smokes it over the wide long on fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Dhawan's struggle continues. A length ball, around off. The ball nips in. Dhawan hangs back and looks to defend it out but misses. He gets rapped on the pads. Ferguson appeals but the umpire is unmoved. Going down leg probably.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Swing and a miss! Dhawan is struggling here. He is yet to get off the mark. Good length and outside off. Dhawan skips down the track and looks to cut it away but misses. The ball bounces over the blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Beautifully bowled by Lockie Ferguson. Good-length ball, outside off. Dhawan hangs back and looks to push it away but misses. The ball beats the outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, A single now! A length ball, on the pads. Shaw tucks it to mid-wicket and gets a single.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, BEATEN! Good reply by Lockie Ferguson. A length ball, outside off. The ball nips in a bit. Shaw hops and looks to push it to the off side but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, ! Shaw gets the first boundary of the game with a glorious drive. Full length and outside off. Shaw leans into it and carves it through covers for a boundary.
Who will start from the other end? Time for some pace as Lockie Ferguson is set to steam in.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Make it 4. What a start by Shakib Al Hasan. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Just 1 run off the over.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on off. Dhawan defends it onto the pitch. Three dots on the trot now!
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and on middle. Dhawan defends it to mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Loopy ball, on off. Dhawan defends it to short mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Shaw and Delhi are off the mark. Slightly short and outside off. Shaw stays on the back foot and cuts it to the left of point. Nitish Rana there dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters cross.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and short, outside off. Shaw cuts it to point.
We are set for the clash! The umpires stride out to the middle. Eoin Morgan leads his side on the field. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walk out to bat for Delhi. Dinesh Karthik has his helmet on and is standing up as Shakib Al Hasan is going to start with the ball. Here we go...
Rishabh Pant, the skipper of Delhi, says that they would have bowled first too but there is no point in thinking over the toss too much. Informs Marcus Stoinis comes in for Tom Curran. Ends by saying that the players are in the right frame of mind and hopes that the guys enjoy out on the field.
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of Kolkata, says that they will bowl first. Mentions they have played a couple of games in Sharjah and that has worked for them before. Adds, there are no changes to the side. Also says, he hopes there is a bit of an advantage with them, but against this Delhi side, it should be a test. Mentions in the UAE leg, his players have played with fire and have put on a great show.Â
Delhi (Playing XI) - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Marcus Stoinis (In for Tom Curran), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.
TOSS UPDATE - Eoin Morgan and Rishabh Pant are at the middle for the all-important toss. The coin lands in favour of Morgan and Kolkata have elected to BOWL first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to all! It is time for Qualifier 2 in the Indian T20 League. In this game, Delhi will be locking horns against Kolkata. With Qualifier 2 comes the pressure and the fear of not being able to notch the last ticket to the final. Delhi had an opportunity to make it to the finale but they slipped against Chennai which is why they feature in this game. Kolkata, on the other hand, have certainly revived in the UAE leg of the competition. No one would have thought they would m
Delhi reached the finals for the first time last season in 2020. But they could not get over the line against Mumbai. Although, they have been a dominant side in this season of the Indian T20 League. They topped the league stage with 20 points and would be eager to move an inch closer to their maiden trophy win. Although, Delhi are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats. They still remain a very strong team.
Kolkata have been the comeback kings of the season and they are familiar with the Sharjah conditions, as they ended Bangaloreâs hunt in the Eliminator. Kolkata have also won all the games while chasing in UAE and would likely hope to repeat that if they chase here again. In their last game, Sunil Narine was back to his best form and caused a lot of trouble to the opposition with both the bat and the ball. Also, on paper, it looks like they have a deep batting lineup, which was seen in thei
PITCH REPORT - Ian Bishop is down for the pitch report. He says that it is very pleasant and cool out there. Adds that the highest score on this surface is 156 and it was made by Bangalore, but teams after that have not been able to cross 132. Matthew Hayden says that batting here should be a mix of playing fearlessly and sensibly. Adds that scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay is what the batters should target. Says that spinners will play a big role in this game and it will get challenging to sco
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Diabytes
Kolkata Knight Riders
136/7(19.5 Overs)
We are set for Kolkata's reply! Rishabh Pant and his men are in a huddle before striding out to the middle.
The Delhi batters fought hard from the start. Prithvi Shaw was on the attack from the word go, while Shikhar Dhawan was still finding his rhythm. Once Shaw fell, Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis kept the scoreboard ticking without getting many boundaries but they both lost their way in the middle. Rishabh Pant too could not make an impact with the blade. Then came a stand between Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer who smacked some crucial runs at the fag end of the innings. Hetmyer was caught on
....THE RUN CHASE....
Shivam Mavi is up for a quick chat. He says that it is a chaseable score as there is some dew on the field. Adds that they have a fair idea of how to bowl on these kinds of pitches as they have played few games here previously. Signs off by saying that the team that plays well in the second innings will end up winning the game.
Right then. The Kolkata bowlers have done their job. Now, the onus is on their batters to chase down the target and book the last spot in the finale. Kolkata have chased every game successfully in the UAE leg and would hope there are changes in fortune. Will they get through to the final or will Kagiso Rabada and co do their magic on this track? Stay with us to find out.
It was a good show by Kolkata. Their bowlers and bowled good lines and lengths throughout. They made it difficult for the opposition to score freely. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up two wickets. He could have his third wicket but it turned out to be a no ball. Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi took a wicket each but were expensive in their last overs. But overall, Kolkata would be satisfied with their show with the ball.
How one evaluates the first innings would depend on one's point of view. We all know how difficult it is to score runs in Sharjah. The Delhi batters though kept their nerves and made sure they keep the runs ticking. Kolkata, on the other hand, their bowlers were on the money yet again. They kept things tight and kept chipping wickets at regular intervals.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! HAMMERED! Mavi ends up serving a full toss, outside off. Iyer shuffles across and hits it straight down the ground for a maximum. Delhi end at 135 for 5!
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Slower ball, fuller and outside off. Patel hits it to wide long on for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker again, on off. Hit down to long on. They want the second but decide against it in the end.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker, on off. Iyer plays it with soft hands to long on and sprints back for the second.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! In the gap! Slower ball, on a length, outside off. Iyer gets across and pulls it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Shivam Mavi (3-0-12-1) comes back to bowl the last over of the innings.
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Length ball, on off. Heaved to deep mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Shorter ball, on leg. Patel hits it past short fine leg for one.
Axar Patel is the new man in.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, on off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Flatter ball, on the pads. Worked past square leg for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, ! RUN OUT! Brilliant work by Venkatesh Iyer! Shorter ball, outside off. Shreyas Iyer cuts it straight to point and sets off for a run. Venkatesh Iyer fires a perfect throw to Dinesh Karthik, who takes the bails off. Shimron Hetmyer is nowhere in the picture.
Sunil Narine to Shimron Hetmyer, Darted on the pads. Shimron Hetmyer gets hit on the pads and the ball rolls away. One taken.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on off. Punched to long on for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, way outside off. Iyer leaves it. Wide called.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! That is punished by Shimron Hetmyer! Full ball, on off. He clears his front leg and whips it way over the mid-wicket fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Short of a length, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, around off. Iyer fails to get any bat on it.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer looks to smack it but gets the inside edge. The man at short fine leg dives and gets a hand to the ball. One taken.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! All the way! On a length, on off. Shimron Hetmyer gets low and hits it high in the air. The ball goes just over the square leg fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Iyer works it to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Fuller ball, on the pads. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Tossed up, on off. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to cut it away but ends up hitting in the air. The catch is taken but it is a Free Hit. The batters take one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, NO BALL! Shimron Hetmyer comes running back in! Tossed up, on off. He heaves it to wide long on. The fielder runs in and dives forward to take a very good catch. Shimron Hetmyer walks off the ground but the umpires check for the no ball. It is very close and the TV umpire decides that it is a no ball. Free Hit coming up!
Is that a no ball? They are checking it now but Shimron Hetmyer has walked off the ground. It is a NO BALL!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flatter ball, on the pads. Flicked past square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on leg. Iyer works it past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to reverse sweep but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out by Shimron Hetmyer.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed away to backward point.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, outside off. Iyer works it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! Now, Lockie Ferguson gets in the act! He bowls a shorter ball, on off. Pant backs away looking to pull it but gets the top edge as the ball bounces a bit more than he expected. It goes high in the air to mid off and it is taken by Rahul Tripathi. This has been a brilliant show by Kolkata and Delhi are in big trouble now.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer runs it to third man for one.
Shimron Hetmyer walks out to bat now.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pant comes down the track and hits it to mid off.
Time-Out! This is brilliant bowling by Kolkata. They have sent back Stoinis and Dhawan and now will be looking to strangle the batting side and not let them score freely. Delhi, on the other hand, would hope, the current pair keeps ticking and take it deep. Rishabh Pant walks out to bat.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Tossed up, on leg. Hit down to long on for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, ! Misfield in the deep! Tossed up, on leg. Pant sweeps it hard. The man from deep square leg gets across but the ball goes through his legs and goes to the fence.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed to covers.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! TAKEN! Varun Chakravarthy gets the big wicket of Dhawan and Delhi slide further here! This one is a googly, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track looking to slog it away. He is nowhere near the pitch of the ball but goes through the stroke. All he gets is the outside edge and the ball goes to cover. Shakib Al Hasan dives forward and takes the catch.
Varun Chakravarthy (2-0-12-1)Â is back on.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down and pushes it to long off for a run.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, NOT ! Good-length ball, on middle. Shreyas Iyer heaves it towards Shubman Gill at deep mid-wicket and looks for the second run. Gill runs from deep mid-wicket, collects the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end. He hits the stumps but Dhawan is well inside the crease as confirmed by the TV umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air, but lands just in front of the long on fielder. Good-length ball, around off. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but it goes off the toe end of the bat towards long on. The fielder comes running in from long on but the ball falls short of the fielder. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Good-length ball, angling in from middle. Shreyas Iyer blocks it out.
Is that a run out? Nope, Shikhar Dhawan is inside the crease.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but he miscues it wide of deep mid-wicket. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Back of a length, on middle. Shreyas Iyer works it to long on off the back foot for a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, A tad short, outside off. Shreyas Iyer stays back and cuts it towards deep cover for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, on middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Shakib fires it in on the pads. The ball stays low and it goes through Iyer's legs as he looks to pull it hard.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Tossed up, outside off. Shreyas Iyer reaches out and drives through covers for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Quicker ball, down leg. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but he misses and gets hit on his pads.
Change. Shakib Al Hasan (3-0-24-0)Â to bowl out here.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, A half-tracker, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan pulls it along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Worked to mid-wicket.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air....safe! Length ball, on off. Iyer looks to whip it away but gets the top edge. The ball goes over cover. The man in the deep gets to his right and the man from cover chases it but the ball lands safely. Two taken.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, NOT ! Tossed up, around leg. Stoinis looks to heave it across the line but misses. Karthik whips the bails off and the TV umpire is called in. The replays show Stoinis had dragged his foot outside the crease. But he gets it back in just before the bails are taken off.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, ! BOWLED! Mavi gets the wicket and Stoinis shakes his head while walking back! Length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis backs away to the leg side to cut it away. But gets the toe end of the bat and the ball crashes back on the stumps. This is a key moment in the game and Kolkata would look to strangle the batters further here.
Shreyas Iyer walks out to bat.
Shivam Mavi (1-0-3-0) comes back into the attack.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Short of a length, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan looks to cut but gets the outside edge to third man for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track and toe-ends it back to the bowler.
A stumping decision has been sent upstairs. Marcus Stoinis has his back foot grounded and it is NOT !Â
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan slaps it to deep point for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted on the pads. Tucked past mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted outside off. Punched to short cover.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Marcus Stoinis paddles it towards fine leg. The fielder gets to his right and keeps it down to a couple.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Fuller ball, on off. Swept away to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, on off. Dhawan comes down the track and pushes it to long off for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Loopy ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis chips it towards long off for a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, outside off. Pushed to deep point for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Dhawan gets a much-needed boundary for his team! Tossed up, outside off. He gets low and sweeps it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Good footwork by Venkatesh Iyer! Dhawan comes down the track and smacks it down the ground. Iyer runs across from long on and stops the ball with his feet. The man from long off gets across and throws it back. Two taken.
Varun Chakravarthy (1-0-2-1) comes back to bowl.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on off. Pushed down to long off for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Pushed down to long on for one. Just 3 from the over.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan pushes it past point for one.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, outside off. Dhawan looks to cut it away but misses.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan looks to work it away but gets the inside edge to short fine leg.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, around off. Dhawan looks to whip it away but gets the inside edge back on the pads.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on middle. Marcus Stoinis backs away and cuts it past covers for one.
Strategic Time-Out! This has been a decent start by Delhi. Yes, they have lost Shaw but a run rate of 6.5 here is good enough to start things. They would now hope to build a solid platform so the likes of Pant and Hetmyer can tee off in the death overs. But the next stage of the game will see Morgan using his spinners in tandem and they have been in sensational form. This should be an exciting contest.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis hangs back and cuts it towards sweeper cover. The batters take a single. Just 3 runs off the over!
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis punches it towards cover off the back foot.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Wide! Mavi errs in line and sprays this one way down leg. Marcus Stoinis lets it be. Wide called by the umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis rocks back and defends it towards cover.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Well bowled! Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Marcus Stoinis turns it to mid on.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis defends it to cover.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, on the pads. Shikhar Dhawan taps it towards mid-wicket and takes a quick run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and quicker, around middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan works it wide of mid on to collect a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, A tad short, around middle. Marcus Stoinis lofts it towards long on for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Quicker ball, down leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, ! Lovely shot! Tossed up, around off. Marcus Stoinis carves it over cover for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis drills it to long off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, TWO WIDE! A stumping chance has gone begging! Shakib Al Hasan sees Dhawan advancing down the track, he fires it down leg. Dinesh Karthik reaches out but fails to collect the ball cleanly. The batters cross over.
Shakib Al Hasan is back on. He went for 13 in his first two overs.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis looks to cut but he gets an inside edge and the ball goes to the left of the keeper for a run.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis tucks it to the leg side and collects a single. Delhi are 38/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Shikhar Dhawan flicks it to square leg to rotate the strike.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but the ball keeps low and goes past Dhawan's blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Good-length ball, angling in from outside off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back to cut but he misses as the ball zips past his outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis miscues his pull wide of mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson is back on. He went for 5 in his first over.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Back of a length, around off. Shikhar Dhawan hangs back and taps it towards backward point for a quick run.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, A tad short, around off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back and pushes it to long on for a run. Just 2 runs and a wicket off the over!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, around off. Shikhar Dhawan defends it out off the front foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Quicker ball, around middle and leg. Marcus Stoinis tucks it to the leg side to get off the mark with a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis works it to mid off, off the back foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Prithvi Shaw, ! LBW! Varun Chakravarthy strikes on his first ball and gets the much-needed breakthrough for Kolkata. A googly, around off, turning in sharply. Prithvi Shaw prods to block this one but he misses and gets rapped in front. Varun Chakravarthy puts in an appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Shaw has a word with Dhawan but does not review it. The replay shows that he is plumb and that was a good decision by the umpire.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis punches it to cover.
Marcus Stoinis walks out to bat now. It has been a while since he walked out on the field.
Change. Varun Chakravarthy comes in the attack now.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on middle. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Delhi have been on the attack against the spinners. Narine gives away 14 runs off his first over.Â
Sunil Narine to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and on the pads. Shaw clips it to mid-wicket for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Floated, full and outside off. Dhawan pushes it through covers for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Back-to-back maximums. Dhawan is in his groove now. Tossed up, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and slog-sweeps it over the square leg fence.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! BOOM! Dhawan capitalizes on the full toss. Full toss, on off. Dhawan gets on one knee and powers it over the square leg fence for a maximum.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, CLOSE! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dhawan looks to drive it away but misses.
Change. Sunil Narine comes on now.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, A dot to end the over! Full and on off. Shaw gets low and sweeps it to square leg but there is a man there. A good over for Delhi and they get 12 runs off it.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Finally Dhawan is off the mark. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and sweeps it through square leg for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, On off, pushed to mid off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Full and on off. Shaw sweeps it to square leg.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! SMACKED! Flatter and outside off. Shaw hangs back and cuts it past point for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! BANG! Shaw gets the first maximum of the game. At the other end, Dhawan is struggling but here, Shaw continues on his merry way. Tossed up, on middle. Shaw comes down the track and smokes it over the wide long on fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Dhawan's struggle continues. A length ball, around off. The ball nips in. Dhawan hangs back and looks to defend it out but misses. He gets rapped on the pads. Ferguson appeals but the umpire is unmoved. Going down leg probably.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Swing and a miss! Dhawan is struggling here. He is yet to get off the mark. Good length and outside off. Dhawan skips down the track and looks to cut it away but misses. The ball bounces over the blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Beautifully bowled by Lockie Ferguson. Good-length ball, outside off. Dhawan hangs back and looks to push it away but misses. The ball beats the outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, A single now! A length ball, on the pads. Shaw tucks it to mid-wicket and gets a single.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, BEATEN! Good reply by Lockie Ferguson. A length ball, outside off. The ball nips in a bit. Shaw hops and looks to push it to the off side but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, ! Shaw gets the first boundary of the game with a glorious drive. Full length and outside off. Shaw leans into it and carves it through covers for a boundary.
Who will start from the other end? Time for some pace as Lockie Ferguson is set to steam in.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Make it 4. What a start by Shakib Al Hasan. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Just 1 run off the over.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on off. Dhawan defends it onto the pitch. Three dots on the trot now!
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and on middle. Dhawan defends it to mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Loopy ball, on off. Dhawan defends it to short mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Shaw and Delhi are off the mark. Slightly short and outside off. Shaw stays on the back foot and cuts it to the left of point. Nitish Rana there dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters cross.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and short, outside off. Shaw cuts it to point.
We are set for the clash! The umpires stride out to the middle. Eoin Morgan leads his side on the field. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walk out to bat for Delhi. Dinesh Karthik has his helmet on and is standing up as Shakib Al Hasan is going to start with the ball. Here we go...
Rishabh Pant, the skipper of Delhi, says that they would have bowled first too but there is no point in thinking over the toss too much. Informs Marcus Stoinis comes in for Tom Curran. Ends by saying that the players are in the right frame of mind and hopes that the guys enjoy out on the field.
Kolkata (Unchanged Playing XI) - Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of Kolkata, says that they will bowl first. Mentions they have played a couple of games in Sharjah and that has worked for them before. Adds, there are no changes to the side. Also says, he hopes there is a bit of an advantage with them, but against this Delhi side, it should be a test. Mentions in the UAE leg, his players have played with fire and have put on a great show.Â
Delhi (Playing XI) - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Marcus Stoinis (In for Tom Curran), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.
TOSS UPDATE - Eoin Morgan and Rishabh Pant are at the middle for the all-important toss. The coin lands in favour of Morgan and Kolkata have elected to BOWL first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to all! It is time for Qualifier 2 in the Indian T20 League. In this game, Delhi will be locking horns against Kolkata. With Qualifier 2 comes the pressure and the fear of not being able to notch the last ticket to the final. Delhi had an opportunity to make it to the finale but they slipped against Chennai which is why they feature in this game. Kolkata, on the other hand, have certainly revived in the UAE leg of the competition. No one would have thought they would m
Delhi reached the finals for the first time last season in 2020. But they could not get over the line against Mumbai. Although, they have been a dominant side in this season of the Indian T20 League. They topped the league stage with 20 points and would be eager to move an inch closer to their maiden trophy win. Although, Delhi are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats. They still remain a very strong team.
Kolkata have been the comeback kings of the season and they are familiar with the Sharjah conditions, as they ended Bangaloreâs hunt in the Eliminator. Kolkata have also won all the games while chasing in UAE and would likely hope to repeat that if they chase here again. In their last game, Sunil Narine was back to his best form and caused a lot of trouble to the opposition with both the bat and the ball. Also, on paper, it looks like they have a deep batting lineup, which was seen in thei
PITCH REPORT - Ian Bishop is down for the pitch report. He says that it is very pleasant and cool out there. Adds that the highest score on this surface is 156 and it was made by Bangalore, but teams after that have not been able to cross 132. Matthew Hayden says that batting here should be a mix of playing fearlessly and sensibly. Adds that scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay is what the batters should target. Says that spinners will play a big role in this game and it will get challenging to sco
We are set for Kolkata's reply! Rishabh Pant and his men are in a huddle before striding out to the middle.
The Delhi batters fought hard from the start. Prithvi Shaw was on the attack from the word go, while Shikhar Dhawan was still finding his rhythm. Once Shaw fell, Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis kept the scoreboard ticking without getting many boundaries but they both lost their way in the middle. Rishabh Pant too could not make an impact with the blade. Then came a stand between Shreyas Iyer and Shimron Hetmyer who smacked some crucial runs at the fag end of the innings. Hetmyer was caught on
....THE RUN CHASE....
Shivam Mavi is up for a quick chat. He says that it is a chaseable score as there is some dew on the field. Adds that they have a fair idea of how to bowl on these kinds of pitches as they have played few games here previously. Signs off by saying that the team that plays well in the second innings will end up winning the game.
Right then. The Kolkata bowlers have done their job. Now, the onus is on their batters to chase down the target and book the last spot in the finale. Kolkata have chased every game successfully in the UAE leg and would hope there are changes in fortune. Will they get through to the final or will Kagiso Rabada and co do their magic on this track? Stay with us to find out.
It was a good show by Kolkata. Their bowlers and bowled good lines and lengths throughout. They made it difficult for the opposition to score freely. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up two wickets. He could have his third wicket but it turned out to be a no ball. Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi took a wicket each but were expensive in their last overs. But overall, Kolkata would be satisfied with their show with the ball.
How one evaluates the first innings would depend on one's point of view. We all know how difficult it is to score runs in Sharjah. The Delhi batters though kept their nerves and made sure they keep the runs ticking. Kolkata, on the other hand, their bowlers were on the money yet again. They kept things tight and kept chipping wickets at regular intervals.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! HAMMERED! Mavi ends up serving a full toss, outside off. Iyer shuffles across and hits it straight down the ground for a maximum. Delhi end at 135 for 5!
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Slower ball, fuller and outside off. Patel hits it to wide long on for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker again, on off. Hit down to long on. They want the second but decide against it in the end.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Yorker, on off. Iyer plays it with soft hands to long on and sprints back for the second.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, ! In the gap! Slower ball, on a length, outside off. Iyer gets across and pulls it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Shivam Mavi (3-0-12-1) comes back to bowl the last over of the innings.
Shivam Mavi to Axar Patel, Length ball, on off. Heaved to deep mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Shorter ball, on leg. Patel hits it past short fine leg for one.
Axar Patel is the new man in.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, on off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Flatter ball, on the pads. Worked past square leg for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, ! RUN OUT! Brilliant work by Venkatesh Iyer! Shorter ball, outside off. Shreyas Iyer cuts it straight to point and sets off for a run. Venkatesh Iyer fires a perfect throw to Dinesh Karthik, who takes the bails off. Shimron Hetmyer is nowhere in the picture.
Sunil Narine to Shimron Hetmyer, Darted on the pads. Shimron Hetmyer gets hit on the pads and the ball rolls away. One taken.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on off. Punched to long on for one.
Sunil Narine to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, way outside off. Iyer leaves it. Wide called.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! That is punished by Shimron Hetmyer! Full ball, on off. He clears his front leg and whips it way over the mid-wicket fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Short of a length, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, around off. Iyer fails to get any bat on it.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer looks to smack it but gets the inside edge. The man at short fine leg dives and gets a hand to the ball. One taken.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, ! All the way! On a length, on off. Shimron Hetmyer gets low and hits it high in the air. The ball goes just over the square leg fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Iyer works it to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Fuller ball, on the pads. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Tossed up, on off. Flicked past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to cut it away but ends up hitting in the air. The catch is taken but it is a Free Hit. The batters take one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, NO BALL! Shimron Hetmyer comes running back in! Tossed up, on off. He heaves it to wide long on. The fielder runs in and dives forward to take a very good catch. Shimron Hetmyer walks off the ground but the umpires check for the no ball. It is very close and the TV umpire decides that it is a no ball. Free Hit coming up!
Is that a no ball? They are checking it now but Shimron Hetmyer has walked off the ground. It is a NO BALL!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shimron Hetmyer, Flatter ball, on the pads. Flicked past square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, on leg. Iyer works it past mid-wicket for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Flatter ball, outside off. Iyer looks to reverse sweep but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out by Shimron Hetmyer.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed away to backward point.
Lockie Ferguson to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, outside off. Iyer works it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! Now, Lockie Ferguson gets in the act! He bowls a shorter ball, on off. Pant backs away looking to pull it but gets the top edge as the ball bounces a bit more than he expected. It goes high in the air to mid off and it is taken by Rahul Tripathi. This has been a brilliant show by Kolkata and Delhi are in big trouble now.
Lockie Ferguson to Shimron Hetmyer, Short of a length, outside off. Shimron Hetmyer runs it to third man for one.
Shimron Hetmyer walks out to bat now.
Lockie Ferguson to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pant comes down the track and hits it to mid off.
Time-Out! This is brilliant bowling by Kolkata. They have sent back Stoinis and Dhawan and now will be looking to strangle the batting side and not let them score freely. Delhi, on the other hand, would hope, the current pair keeps ticking and take it deep. Rishabh Pant walks out to bat.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Tossed up, on leg. Hit down to long on for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shreyas Iyer, Shorter ball, outside off. Iyer runs it to short third man for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Cut away to deep cover for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, ! Misfield in the deep! Tossed up, on leg. Pant sweeps it hard. The man from deep square leg gets across but the ball goes through his legs and goes to the fence.
Varun Chakravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Shorter ball, outside off. Pushed to covers.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! TAKEN! Varun Chakravarthy gets the big wicket of Dhawan and Delhi slide further here! This one is a googly, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track looking to slog it away. He is nowhere near the pitch of the ball but goes through the stroke. All he gets is the outside edge and the ball goes to cover. Shakib Al Hasan dives forward and takes the catch.
Varun Chakravarthy (2-0-12-1)Â is back on.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down and pushes it to long off for a run.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, NOT ! Good-length ball, on middle. Shreyas Iyer heaves it towards Shubman Gill at deep mid-wicket and looks for the second run. Gill runs from deep mid-wicket, collects the ball and has a shy at the bowler's end. He hits the stumps but Dhawan is well inside the crease as confirmed by the TV umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air, but lands just in front of the long on fielder. Good-length ball, around off. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but it goes off the toe end of the bat towards long on. The fielder comes running in from long on but the ball falls short of the fielder. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Good-length ball, angling in from middle. Shreyas Iyer blocks it out.
Is that a run out? Nope, Shikhar Dhawan is inside the crease.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, around off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but he miscues it wide of deep mid-wicket. The batters take one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Back of a length, on middle. Shreyas Iyer works it to long on off the back foot for a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, A tad short, outside off. Shreyas Iyer stays back and cuts it towards deep cover for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, on middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Shakib fires it in on the pads. The ball stays low and it goes through Iyer's legs as he looks to pull it hard.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Tossed up, outside off. Shreyas Iyer reaches out and drives through covers for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shreyas Iyer, Quicker ball, down leg. Shreyas Iyer looks to heave it away but he misses and gets hit on his pads.
Change. Shakib Al Hasan (3-0-24-0)Â to bowl out here.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, A half-tracker, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan pulls it along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Worked to mid-wicket.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, Length ball, on off. Blocked out.
Shivam Mavi to Shreyas Iyer, In the air....safe! Length ball, on off. Iyer looks to whip it away but gets the top edge. The ball goes over cover. The man in the deep gets to his right and the man from cover chases it but the ball lands safely. Two taken.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, NOT ! Tossed up, around leg. Stoinis looks to heave it across the line but misses. Karthik whips the bails off and the TV umpire is called in. The replays show Stoinis had dragged his foot outside the crease. But he gets it back in just before the bails are taken off.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, ! BOWLED! Mavi gets the wicket and Stoinis shakes his head while walking back! Length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis backs away to the leg side to cut it away. But gets the toe end of the bat and the ball crashes back on the stumps. This is a key moment in the game and Kolkata would look to strangle the batters further here.
Shreyas Iyer walks out to bat.
Shivam Mavi (1-0-3-0) comes back into the attack.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Short of a length, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan looks to cut but gets the outside edge to third man for one.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, outside off. Dhawan comes down the track and toe-ends it back to the bowler.
A stumping decision has been sent upstairs. Marcus Stoinis has his back foot grounded and it is NOT !Â
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan slaps it to deep point for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted on the pads. Tucked past mid-wicket for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Darted outside off. Punched to short cover.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Marcus Stoinis paddles it towards fine leg. The fielder gets to his right and keeps it down to a couple.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Fuller ball, on off. Swept away to deep square leg for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, on off. Dhawan comes down the track and pushes it to long off for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Loopy ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis chips it towards long off for a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, outside off. Pushed to deep point for one.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Dhawan gets a much-needed boundary for his team! Tossed up, outside off. He gets low and sweeps it between wide long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Good footwork by Venkatesh Iyer! Dhawan comes down the track and smacks it down the ground. Iyer runs across from long on and stops the ball with his feet. The man from long off gets across and throws it back. Two taken.
Varun Chakravarthy (1-0-2-1) comes back to bowl.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on off. Pushed down to long off for one.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Tossed up, on leg. Pushed down to long on for one. Just 3 from the over.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan pushes it past point for one.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, outside off. Dhawan looks to cut it away but misses.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Shorter ball, outside off. Dhawan looks to work it away but gets the inside edge to short fine leg.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter ball, around off. Dhawan looks to whip it away but gets the inside edge back on the pads.
Sunil Narine to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on middle. Marcus Stoinis backs away and cuts it past covers for one.
Strategic Time-Out! This has been a decent start by Delhi. Yes, they have lost Shaw but a run rate of 6.5 here is good enough to start things. They would now hope to build a solid platform so the likes of Pant and Hetmyer can tee off in the death overs. But the next stage of the game will see Morgan using his spinners in tandem and they have been in sensational form. This should be an exciting contest.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis hangs back and cuts it towards sweeper cover. The batters take a single. Just 3 runs off the over!
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis punches it towards cover off the back foot.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Wide! Mavi errs in line and sprays this one way down leg. Marcus Stoinis lets it be. Wide called by the umpire.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Back of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis rocks back and defends it towards cover.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Well bowled! Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Marcus Stoinis turns it to mid on.
Shivam Mavi to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis defends it to cover.
Shivam Mavi to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, on the pads. Shikhar Dhawan taps it towards mid-wicket and takes a quick run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and quicker, around middle and leg. Shikhar Dhawan works it wide of mid on to collect a run.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, A tad short, around middle. Marcus Stoinis lofts it towards long on for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Quicker ball, down leg. Shikhar Dhawan tucks it to the leg side for one.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, ! Lovely shot! Tossed up, around off. Marcus Stoinis carves it over cover for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis drills it to long off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, TWO WIDE! A stumping chance has gone begging! Shakib Al Hasan sees Dhawan advancing down the track, he fires it down leg. Dinesh Karthik reaches out but fails to collect the ball cleanly. The batters cross over.
Shakib Al Hasan is back on. He went for 13 in his first two overs.
Shakib Al Hasan to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis looks to cut but he gets an inside edge and the ball goes to the left of the keeper for a run.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Good-length ball, on middle and leg. Stoinis tucks it to the leg side and collects a single. Delhi are 38/1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Length ball, jagging back in from middle. Shikhar Dhawan flicks it to square leg to rotate the strike.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Good-length ball, outside off. Shikhar Dhawan skips down to slog but the ball keeps low and goes past Dhawan's blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Good-length ball, angling in from outside off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back to cut but he misses as the ball zips past his outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Marcus Stoinis, Short of a length, outside off. Marcus Stoinis miscues his pull wide of mid-wicket for one.
Lockie Ferguson is back on. He went for 5 in his first over.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Back of a length, around off. Shikhar Dhawan hangs back and taps it towards backward point for a quick run.
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, A tad short, around off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back and pushes it to long on for a run. Just 2 runs and a wicket off the over!
Varun Chakravarthy to Shikhar Dhawan, Tossed up, around off. Shikhar Dhawan defends it out off the front foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Quicker ball, around middle and leg. Marcus Stoinis tucks it to the leg side to get off the mark with a single.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis works it to mid off, off the back foot.
Varun Chakravarthy to Prithvi Shaw, ! LBW! Varun Chakravarthy strikes on his first ball and gets the much-needed breakthrough for Kolkata. A googly, around off, turning in sharply. Prithvi Shaw prods to block this one but he misses and gets rapped in front. Varun Chakravarthy puts in an appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Shaw has a word with Dhawan but does not review it. The replay shows that he is plumb and that was a good decision by the umpire.
Varun Chakravarthy to Marcus Stoinis, Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis punches it to cover.
Marcus Stoinis walks out to bat now. It has been a while since he walked out on the field.
Change. Varun Chakravarthy comes in the attack now.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on middle. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Delhi have been on the attack against the spinners. Narine gives away 14 runs off his first over.Â
Sunil Narine to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and on the pads. Shaw clips it to mid-wicket for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, Floated, full and outside off. Dhawan pushes it through covers for a single.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! Back-to-back maximums. Dhawan is in his groove now. Tossed up, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and slog-sweeps it over the square leg fence.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, ! BOOM! Dhawan capitalizes on the full toss. Full toss, on off. Dhawan gets on one knee and powers it over the square leg fence for a maximum.
Sunil Narine to Shikhar Dhawan, CLOSE! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dhawan looks to drive it away but misses.
Change. Sunil Narine comes on now.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, A dot to end the over! Full and on off. Shaw gets low and sweeps it to square leg but there is a man there. A good over for Delhi and they get 12 runs off it.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Finally Dhawan is off the mark. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and sweeps it through square leg for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, On off, pushed to mid off for a single.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Full and on off. Shaw sweeps it to square leg.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! SMACKED! Flatter and outside off. Shaw hangs back and cuts it past point for a boundary.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, ! BANG! Shaw gets the first maximum of the game. At the other end, Dhawan is struggling but here, Shaw continues on his merry way. Tossed up, on middle. Shaw comes down the track and smokes it over the wide long on fence.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Dhawan's struggle continues. A length ball, around off. The ball nips in. Dhawan hangs back and looks to defend it out but misses. He gets rapped on the pads. Ferguson appeals but the umpire is unmoved. Going down leg probably.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, Swing and a miss! Dhawan is struggling here. He is yet to get off the mark. Good length and outside off. Dhawan skips down the track and looks to cut it away but misses. The ball bounces over the blade.
Lockie Ferguson to Shikhar Dhawan, BEATEN! Beautifully bowled by Lockie Ferguson. Good-length ball, outside off. Dhawan hangs back and looks to push it away but misses. The ball beats the outside edge.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, A single now! A length ball, on the pads. Shaw tucks it to mid-wicket and gets a single.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, BEATEN! Good reply by Lockie Ferguson. A length ball, outside off. The ball nips in a bit. Shaw hops and looks to push it to the off side but misses.
Lockie Ferguson to Prithvi Shaw, ! Shaw gets the first boundary of the game with a glorious drive. Full length and outside off. Shaw leans into it and carves it through covers for a boundary.
Who will start from the other end? Time for some pace as Lockie Ferguson is set to steam in.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Make it 4. What a start by Shakib Al Hasan. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Just 1 run off the over.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Full and on off. Dhawan defends it onto the pitch. Three dots on the trot now!
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Flatter and on middle. Dhawan defends it to mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Shikhar Dhawan, Loopy ball, on off. Dhawan defends it to short mid-wicket.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Shaw and Delhi are off the mark. Slightly short and outside off. Shaw stays on the back foot and cuts it to the left of point. Nitish Rana there dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters cross.
Shakib Al Hasan to Prithvi Shaw, Flatter and short, outside off. Shaw cuts it to point.
We are set for the clash! The umpires stride out to the middle. Eoin Morgan leads his side on the field. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walk out to bat for Delhi. Dinesh Karthik has his helmet on and is standing up as Shakib Al Hasan is going to start with the ball. Here we go...
Rishabh Pant, the skipper of Delhi, says that they would have bowled first too but there is no point in thinking over the toss too much. Informs Marcus Stoinis comes in for Tom Curran. Ends by saying that the players are in the right frame of mind and hopes that the guys enjoy out on the field.
Kolkata (Unchanged Playing XI) - Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of Kolkata, says that they will bowl first. Mentions they have played a couple of games in Sharjah and that has worked for them before. Adds, there are no changes to the side. Also says, he hopes there is a bit of an advantage with them, but against this Delhi side, it should be a test. Mentions in the UAE leg, his players have played with fire and have put on a great show.Â
Delhi (Playing XI) - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Marcus Stoinis (In for Tom Curran), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.
TOSS UPDATE - Eoin Morgan and Rishabh Pant are at the middle for the all-important toss. The coin lands in favour of Morgan and Kolkata have elected to BOWL first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to all! It is time for Qualifier 2 in the Indian T20 League. In this game, Delhi will be locking horns against Kolkata. With Qualifier 2 comes the pressure and the fear of not being able to notch the last ticket to the final. Delhi had an opportunity to make it to the finale but they slipped against Chennai which is why they feature in this game. Kolkata, on the other hand, have certainly revived in the UAE leg of the competition. No one would have thought they would m
Delhi reached the finals for the first time last season in 2020. But they could not get over the line against Mumbai. Although, they have been a dominant side in this season of the Indian T20 League. They topped the league stage with 20 points and would be eager to move an inch closer to their maiden trophy win. Although, Delhi are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats. They still remain a very strong team.
Kolkata have been the comeback kings of the season and they are familiar with the Sharjah conditions, as they ended Bangaloreâs hunt in the Eliminator. Kolkata have also won all the games while chasing in UAE and would likely hope to repeat that if they chase here again. In their last game, Sunil Narine was back to his best form and caused a lot of trouble to the opposition with both the bat and the ball. Also, on paper, it looks like they have a deep batting lineup, which was seen in thei
PITCH REPORT - Ian Bishop is down for the pitch report. He says that it is very pleasant and cool out there. Adds that the highest score on this surface is 156 and it was made by Bangalore, but teams after that have not been able to cross 132. Matthew Hayden says that batting here should be a mix of playing fearlessly and sensibly. Adds that scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay is what the batters should target. Says that spinners will play a big role in this game and it will get challenging to sco