Live Cricket Score - KKR vs DC, Match 41, IPL 2021

Hello and welcome to the Live blog for the 41st match of IPL 2021 - between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals - at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Hit refresh for latest updates.

KKR overcome slow pitch and DC fight for crucial win

Narine falls to Nortje in the 17th over but KKR had the luxury of plenty of deliveries. Rana eventually finishes it off with a boundary off Nortje in the 19th over to win by three wickets with 10 deliveries to spare. The left-hander is unbeaten on 36 off 27 as KKR gain a crucial win to gain a bit of advantage in the rate race for a berth in the playoffs.

Narine tilts the balance in KKR's favour

A top-edged six over fine leg is followed by a swipe for a four for Narine off Rabada. The West Indian ends the over with another six over mid wicket. 21 runs off the Rabada over and the equation is now 9 off 24 balls.

Avesh strikes

Karthik tries to run one down to third man but ends up chopping it onto the stumps to depart for 12 off 14.KKR need 32 in 32.

Big over for KKR

A six over the bowler's head is followed by another six over cow corner as Rana takes the attack to Yadav in the 14th over. Karthik edges a cut to the third-man fence as the bowler ends up conceding 20 of the over, which eases to pressure on KKR. They are 96/4, needing 32 more off 36.

Rabada removes Gill, Ashwin dismisses Morgan

A wicket maiden to start his spell!Rabada bowls five dots to Gill before the batter tries to pull a slower delivery buts ends up offering a simple catch to Shreyas at long-on. Morgan falls in the next over to Ashwin, getting an outside edge to slip where Yadav holds on to a good catch. Ashwin is pumped with the dismissal of the captain as KKR slip to 67/4.

Gill, Rana keep KKR on track

Gill gets his second six as he strikes an Ashwin delivery over long on, where Smith gets the finger tips on to the ball but cannot get hold of it. Axar concedes only two in the eighth over while Ashwin gives away eight in his third over, including a four for Rana as he sweeps one to fine leg and beats the fielder. Five runs from the 10th over, bowled by Yadav, as KKR move to 67/2. Only two overs of pace used by DC in the first 10.

Avesh strikes

Gill comes down the track to Avesh and puts the ball away to the deep midwicket fence for his first four. But Tripathi falls in the same over, chipping a slower delivery to Smith at cover to depart for 9 off 5. KKR end the powerplay at 44/2.

Yadav ends Iyer's stay

An economical over from Axar as he gives away only 4 in the fourth over. Meanwhile, Iyer has struggled to force the pace against the spinners and he eventually falls to Lalit Yadav in the fifth over, bowled by a delivery that skidded through. Tripathi gets a gift from Yadav, a short one, as he pulls it away for a six to get off the mark. KKR are 36/1 after 5 overs.

Steady start by KKR

Shubman Gill gets off the mark with a single off Nortje while Iyer gets going with two fours in the opening over - a glorious drive through cover and a pull to square leg. Gill scores the first six of the match, coming down the track to Axar Patel in the second over and going straight. Ashwin bowls the third over and starts by conceding 6. KKR are 22/0 after 3 overs.

KKR restrict DC to 127/9

A heave over the extra cover region gives Pant his second four while he also scores a four off Iyer, who bowls he penultimate over with Ferguson off the field. Meanwhile, Pant has surpassed Sehwag as the highest run-getter for Delhi in the IPL. 10 runs off the 19th over, with KKR's fielding standards dropping a bit. Ashwin falls in the final over to Southee, caught at square leg by Rana. A good throw from substitute fielder Karun Nair helps Karthik clip off the bails with Pant well short of the crease while attempting a second. Gill puts down Avesh Khan at deep midwicket.

Despite conceding extra runs through some poor fielding, KKR have managed to restrict Delhi Capitals below 130. But the pitch is on the slower side and it won't be easy for the KKR batters as well.

Deepu stats:

- Delhi Capitals records broken by Rishabh Pant today : Most runs (2390); Most run outs (7)

- This is only the second time in IPL that DC have failed to hit a single six in an innings when they batted all 20 overs. The first instance was against RR in Mumbai earlier in the season

Pant key as DC eye good finish

Pant nearly took Dinesh Karthik's face when he tried to keep a Chakaravarthy delivery from hitting the stumps. They share a smile after that. KKR, meanwhile, lose a review for caught behind after Pant misses a cut off Chakaravarthy. DC are 102/6 after 17 overs.

Second wicket for Iyer

Axar Patel also departs for nought as DC slip further. Axar was slight early into a flick and saw Ferguson hold on to a fine catch at short mid-wicket.

Quick strikes

Hetmyer tries to up the ante by going over the top but it's a delivery sans pace from Iyer who gets the batter caught at long-off by Southee. Maiden IPL wicket for Iyer while Narine bags his second scalp by trapping Lalit Yadav plumb in front for a duck. DC slip to 89/5 in the 15th over.

Ferguson strikes

Smith has to depart for 39 off 34 as Ferguson bags his second wicket after being introduced in the 13th over. Smith tries to clear his front leg and play across the line but he ends up inside-edging it on to the stumps.

Deepu stats:

Worst boundary % in IPL since 2019 (400+ balls): 13.41 - Shreays Iyer; 13.54 - Ambati Rayudu; 13.68 - Kane Williamson; 13.72 - Virat Kohli; 14.05 - Steven Smith

Smith ups the ante after quiet overs

Smith eases some pressure with two fours off Chakaravarthy in the 10th over, tickling it fine and placing a cut wide of the fielders. He also plays across the line to Narine for a boundary to deep midwicket. Venkatesh Iyer bowls a tight first over, giving away only four. DC are 77/2 after 12 overs.

Spinners strangle DC with tight overs

Narine and Chakaravarthy have bowled well in tandem, restricting DC's scoring rate. Only 13 runs in the three overs after powerplay as the DC batters are struggling to score quickly on a sluggish wicket.

Shreyas Iyer falls cheaply

A wicket for Narine off his second delivery. Iyer was probably expecting a straighter delivery and played away from his body. But the ball spins in sharply to make contact with the stumps. Iyer departs for 1 off 5.

KKR contain DC in powerplay

Only 10 runs in the last two overs of the powerplay as Ferguson and Varun Chakaravarthy keep it tight. DC move to 39/1 after six overs.

Dhawan falls after promising start

A short ball from Ferguson and Dhawan ends up hitting it straight to Venkatesh Iyer in front of point while attempting a cut. The left-hander departs for 24 off 20, which included five fours.

Dhawan survives a review

Dhawan jumps down the track to Southee and muscles a shot through covers for another four. Dhawan survives a review from KKR after missing a flick off the New Zealand pacer, with the umpire's call of not out saving him. Smith gets his first boundary with a whip over midwicket for a four off Ferguson.

DC off to steady start

A tight first over from Warrier, who despite being hit for a four behind square on the legside off a full toss by Dhawan, concedes only five. Dhawan's second four is a thick outside edge off Southee that travels to third man. Meanwhile, Dhawan is back at the top of the run-scorers' chart in this IPL. Smith is happy dealing in singles, while Dhawan plays a wristy shot to deep midwicket off Warrier and then whips away one to dep square leg for two back to back fours in the third over. DC move to 22/0.

Toss and teams:

KKR skipper Morgan wins the toss and opts to bat. Two changes for KKR as Southee comes in for Russell while Warrier replaces Prasidh. Smith included in the DC XI as replacement for the injured Shaw.

Teams:

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sandeep Warrier

Debutant alert

Build-up:

KKR are currently in the fourth position with four wins from 10 games. They have the same number of points (8) as three other teams who have also played the same number of games. In what is a rat's race to make it to the playoffs, KKR will be eager to edge ahead with a win in this game.

It is easier said than done though as KKR have to deal with DC, who have been having their own battle with CSK for the top spot. CSK are currently No. 1 and DC will be keen to reclaim that position by registering what will be their fifth win on the trot.

Also read:

KKR's openers gave the side good start against RCB and MI but couldn't quite get going against CSK. If they are able to present a challenge to DC, the openers will not only have to neutralise the Nortje threat but also put the pacer under pressure - Akash Sarkar previews the KKR-DC clash.

The people behind the rise of KKR's newest star - Venkatesh Iyer - shed light on a calm-headed boy and a batting powerhouse. A studious rise: the making of Venkatesh Iyer - By Aayush Puthran and Akash.