IPL 2025
Sunil Narine’s All-Round Brilliance Helps KKR Outplay DC and Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
By CricShots - Apr 29, 2025 11:48 pm
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) revived their IPL 2025 playoff hopes with a gritty 14-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in a high-stakes encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 29. In a match marked by injury-led leadership changes and dramatic momentum shifts, it was stand-in skipper Sunil Narine who proved to be the difference-maker with both ball and brain.

Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine outplayed DC for KKR

Batting first, KKR came out swinging as openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narine laid the perfect foundation with a blistering 79-run stand in the powerplay — their best of the season. Ajinkya Rahane played a composed cameo before retiring hurt, but the middle order once again failed to capitalise.

Venkatesh Iyer continued his underwhelming season with another single-digit score, and birthday boy Andre Russell along with Rovman Powell, failed to fire. It was left to Rinku Singh (36 off 25) and the young Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44 off 32) to propel KKR to a respectable 205.

WATCH – Ajinkya Rahane Walks Off Bloodied After Nasty Webbing Injury vs DC

DC’s chase got off to a rocky start, losing KL Rahul early thanks to Narine’s sharp bowling. Though Faf du Plessis (62) and Axar Patel (43 off 23) stitched together a 66-run partnership, Narine once again pulled the strings brilliantly. He brought himself on in the 14th over and dismissed du Plessis at a crucial moment, shifting the tide firmly in KKR’s favor.

Perhaps Narine’s boldest move came in the 17th over when he trusted Varun Chakravarthy — who had been expensive earlier — to turn things around. The leg-spinner delivered with two wickets in two balls, including the dangerous Ashutosh Sharma and Mitchell Starc, breaking DC’s back. Despite a valiant final push from Vipraj Nigam, the task proved too steep.

Axar Patel, despite a painful finger injury sustained while fielding, showed immense grit by returning to bat and playing a courageous knock. His presence alone gave DC a fighting chance. Yet, with the middle order failing to support him, Delhi slumped to their second consecutive defeat and now sit precariously at fourth place.

WATCH – KL Rahul’s Costly Run-Out Against KKR: Sunil Narine’s Fielding Turns the Tide

As KKR gear up for a crucial clash against the Rajasthan Royals on May 4, their middle-order frailties remain a concern. Meanwhile, DC will hope for a quick turnaround when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 5, knowing their playoff hopes are still in their hands — but only just.

 

Tags all-round showcomplete performanceDelhi CapitalsIPL 2025KKR vs DCKolkata Knight RidersSunil narine

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