The group stage of the IPL 2026 finished at Eden Gardens with a high-scoring dead rubber. Delhi Capitals (DC) finished on a strong note, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 40 runs, ensuring that KKR’s season ended in disappointment after their playoff hopes had already been dashed by Rajasthan’s triumph earlier in the day.
Delhi Capitals’ batting team blasted on all cylinders, scoring an impressive 203/5 on a genuine Eden Gardens surface. KL Rahul (60), the wicketkeeper-batsman, led the way with a superb, tone-setting knock, hitting 5 fours and 4 sixes at a blazing strike rate of 200. Captain Axar Patel led the middle-overs with 39 off 25 balls. Power-hitters David Miller (28) and Ashutosh Sharma (18) added a 34-run late flourish to break the 200-run barrier.
Despite a courageous lone-wolf performance from captain Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting attempt wilted under duress while chasing a tough total of 204 runs. Rahane (63) opened the innings with a stylish knock, which included four fours and four sixes, supported by explosive cameos from Manish Pandey (25) and Rovman Powell (29). However, the middle and lower orders completely collapsed against Delhi’s spinners; a catastrophic collapse triggered by Kuldeep Yadav saw prominent weapons like Rinku Singh fall for a golden duck, causing the team to completely lose shape and slide to a final score of 163 all out in 18.4 overs.
Defending 203, Delhi’s bowling attack steadily decimated the host team’s batting order, dismissing them for 163. Kuldeep, a left-arm spinner, was responsible for the collapse against his previous team. He bowled 3/29 in 4 overs, including two wickets in two consecutive balls. Lungi Ngidi, the pace spearhead, gave good, consistent breakthroughs at both ends of the innings, finishing with a clinical 3/27, while Mitchell Starc reappeared late in the death overs to sweep up the tail with numbers of 2/26, rounding off a very disciplined defensive bowling masterpiece.
After opting to bowl first on a muggy evening, KKR’s bowling unit failed to restrict Delhi’s top-heavy attack, demonstrating fragility across numerous phases. Pace bowler Kartik Tyagi took the brunt of the attack, conceding 55 runs in four wicketless overs. Unheralded pacer Saurabh Dubey led the attack with exceptional figures of 2/28 in his four overs. However, spin twins Sunil Narine (1/38) and Varun Chakaravarthy (1/35) struggled to contain the run rate, leaving the death bowlers with too much ground to defend as DC capitalised on the fast outfield.
With this win, DC end up 6th in the points table with 14 points.
Scorecard:
Delhi Capitals: 203/5, Overs 20, KL Rahul 60, Saurabh Dubey 2/28
Kolkata Knight Riders: 163/3, Overs 18.4, Ajinkya Rahane 63, Lungi Ngidi 3/27
