IPL 9, Match 26: DD v KKR - 5 Talking Points

The Delhi Daredevils seemingly halted the Kolkata Knight Riders juggernaut courtesy of their impressive 27-run win. While many of the important stars were on show, it wasn’t the usual suspects who made the mark. Karun Nair, Robin Uthappa, and debutante Sam Billings smashed half-centuries as the Delhi crowd was treated to some amazing batting performances. Luckily for them, the home team got their noses ahead to clinch an enthralling victory.

1. Delhi Daredevils chop and change:

Despite their impressive showing in the one-run loss at the hands of the Gujarat Lions, the reinforcements made their way into the team. Rishabh Pant kept his place in the side. However, eyebrows were raised when Sam Billings and Carlos Brathwaite made their way into the side, with the former making his debut. At the end of the day, the two additions made their mark with Billings smashing a whirlwind century as Brathwaite first played a cameo with the bat and then claimed three wickets to sum up an impressive performance.

2. Karun Nair makes a massive impact:

Karnataka batsman Karun Nair has been somewhat of a caged lion in this edition of the IPL. The Delhi batting unit as has happened previously lost three wickets in the form of Sanju Samson, the misfiring Shreyas Iyer, and the in-form Quinton de Kock. The onus fell on debutante Sam Billings and Karun Nair. Nair began his innings with some caution before slamming the ball to all parts, similar to what he did at his time with the Rajasthan Royals. He slammed 68 off just 50 deliveries including 9 boundaries a six on a diabolical looking Feroz Shah Kotla wicket. He was adjudged leg before by a peach of a delivery from Umesh Yadav.

3. Sam Billings makes unforgettable debut in IPL:

Sam Billings’ IPL debut is certainly one to remember. Having come into the side as one of the most explosive batsmen in the game at the moment, Billings came in early in the Daredevils innings with just 5 overs played. However, unlike his teammate Karun Nair, Billings was more interested in whacking each ball into the stands. He took just 34 deliveries to slam his maiden IPL half-century. He slammed the ball to different parts of the Kotla including 3 boundaries and 2 sixes before being removed by a zinger from Umesh Yadav.

4. Robin Uthappa at it once more:

Robin Uthappa has been nothing short of impressive this season. However, with the Daredevils ripping through the Knight Riders like an army of madmen, the 29-year old was expected to play a knock of responsibility. However, despite this, Uthappa was indeed able to impress by batting for the most part of the innings. He slammed 72 off just 52 deliveries, smashing 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. Unfortunately, the Karnataka batsman was dismissed in the 18th over, virtually presenting a win for the Daredevils.

5. Daredevils complete impressive win:

The Daredevils bowlers were impressive on the day. Apart from some decent batting from Robin Uthappa, none of the KKR batsmen were able to get themselves into the zone they are capable of. Piyush Chawla came out to bat at no.3 as the Knight Riders attempted to do a Pawan Negi’ of sorts. Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell too made futile attempts to do something about their situation only for them to fall horrifyingly short of the total.

How did Twitter react to the match? – IPL 9 Match 26 Review: Delhi Daredevils flatten incompetent KKR