Delhi Daredevils restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 97 in rain-truncated IPL 2012 match

Kolkata, April 5, 2012

Delhi Daredevils came up with a fine bowling display to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 97 for nine in the rain-curtailed 12-overs-a-side match of the Indian Premier League.

Put into bat after a two-and-half hours of rain delay, the Knight Riders batsmen struggled to get off the blocks against Delhi's bowling attack led by South African speedster Morne Morkel, who returned with impressive figures of 3-0-18-3.

Indian pace sensation Umesh Yadav too did a fine job from the other end and picked up two wickets for mere nine runs off his two overs, while left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe also accounted for two Knight Riders batsmen.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla top-scored for the home team with a 17-ball 26, which was studded with two sixes and a lone boundary. He resurrected Kolkata's innings after they were reduced to 54 for five in 6.4 overs.

On a day when their star batsmen including skipper Gautam Gambhir (16), Jacques Kallis (4) and Yusuf Pathan (0) flopped, Bengal youngster Debabrata Das impressed with a quick 18 from nine balls that included a huge six off Morkel.

The Knight Riders found themselves in alien conditions even at home as Delhi pace duo of Morkel and Yadav rattled their batting line-up after Van der Merwe gave the visitors their first breakthrough.

van der Merwe, who shared the new ball with Irfan Pathan, gave Delhi the breakthrough in his very first over when he cut short a dangerous-looking Brendon McCullum's (9) trapping him plumb in front of the wicket.

But there after Morkel and Yadav reduced Delhi to 31 for four by the fourth over.

The South African pacer rattled his compatriot Kallis' middle stump with a toe-crushing yorker and followed it up with Manoj Tiwary's wicket in similar fashion in the very next ball.

Yadav then took the prize scalp of Yusuf Pathan for a duck to reduce the Knight Riders to 31 for four.

In dire need of a partnership, Debabrata broke the shackles with two sixes -- first off Glenn Maxwell and then Morkel.

He made his intentions clear hitting the South African speedster over long on boundary, but his fine innings came to an end because of a misunderstanding with Shukla.(PTI)

Brief Scores: KKR 97 for 9 in 12 overs (Laxmi Ratan Shukla 26, DB Das 18; Morne Morkel 3 for 18, Umesh Yadav 2 for 9, Roelof van der Merwe 2 for 28) vs DD

Full Scorecard