IPL 35th Match: Rawalpindi knight too strong for Daredevils

Shoaib Akhtar takes four wickets in his first three overs to lead Sourav Ganguly’s team to an unlikely 23-run win over Virender Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils at Eden Gardens

KOLKATA: Shoaib Akhtar returned to the limelight with a fiery spell of genuine fast bowling that ripped apart the formidable Delhi Daredevils’ top-order and set the Eden Gardens alive as Sourav Ganguly’s Kolkata Knight Riders fought back on the field to win by 23 runs.

In the end, with the match going into the home stretch, Ashok Dinda, bowling the 16th over ran to the striker’s end and threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end to run out Farveez Maharoof, the last batsman who was capable of turning the match on its head.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla then took three wickets in the 18th over to finish off the game. Akhtar, the showman fast bowler, made the trip across the border after the five-year ban slapped on him for various offences was lifted for one month to allow him to play in the Indian Premier League.

Tickets were selling like hot cakes at the Eden as news spread that the maverick Pakistan fast bowler would play against the Daredevils. Akhtar did not disappoint and brought the crowd to their feet after the home team were restricted to a disappointing 133 for six.

Gautam Gambhir took a single off Akhtar’s first ball and the second was a wide but the third got rid of Sehwag as the Pakistan paceman started off in an erratic but exciting manner. The ball to Sehwag was a beauty. It swung away late from the opener and Sehwag, not a believer in moving his feet offered a thick edge that was snapped up by the wicket-keeper.
In his second over, Akhtar tempted the in-form Gambhir with a ball outside off-stump arriving at good pace. David Hussey at backward point jumped acrobatically to pull off the catch and Akhtar and the Knight Riders were up and away in celebration.

With both Sehwag and Gambhir back in the hut, the pressure was now back on the Daredevils. Akhtar though wanted to have a ball. He struck in the first and second ball of his third over. AB DeViller’s was undone by the pace and ballooned the ball while attempting a pull, while Manoj Tiwary mis-read the length as the ball thudded into his back leg.

Earlier, electing to bat, the hosts set the Delhi side an asking rate of 6.7 before a crowd of 50,000 at the Eden Gardens. Salman Butt was the principal scorer for the home team with the in-form David Hussey getting moderate success in the slog overs. Superb bowling performances from Glenn McGrath, Yo Mahesh and Maharoof ensured the Delhi batsmen got an easily attainable asking rate.

The Knight Riders could never get the momentum going and only 10 fours came in their innings. Sourav (7) walked in to loud cheers and raised hopes of another magical knock as he hit Yo Mahesh for a six.