In a thrilling encounter at the Eden Gardens Cricket Ground, Kolkata defeated Delhi by 7 wickets in the 47th match of the IPL 2024 T20 series. The match, held on April 29th at 7.30 pm, witnessed some exceptional performances from both sides.
Batting first, Delhi put up a modest total of 153/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Despite efforts from Prithivi Shah (13), Jake (12), and Rishabh Pant (27), Delhi struggled to post a competitive total. Kuldeep Yadav unbeaten 35 provided some respectability to their innings. Varun Chakraborty, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was the pick of the bowlers for Kolkata, taking 3 crucial wickets.
In response, Kolkata chased down the target of 174 runs with ease, thanks to brilliant innings from Phil Salt (68) and Shreyas Iyer (33*). Although Axar Patel took 2 wickets for Delhi, it wasn’t enough to prevent Kolkata from securing the victory in just 16.3 overs.
Varun Chakravarthy exceptional bowling performance earned him the Man of the Match award. Speaking after the match, Chakravarthy credited his success to the support he received from his team, particularly mentioning the inspiration he drew from team owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and coach Abhishek Nair.
Reflecting on his performance, Chakravarthy said, “You saw that the pitch was a bit stagnant for the match to take place. It spun a bit better in the 2nd innings.” He added, “A missed catch on the very first ball against Rishabh Pant could have been costly. I thought it was a very good ball and quickly dismissed him. Success nowadays is determined by small margins. I liked Stubbs’ wicket taking.”
Chakravarthy also mentioned that Sunil Narine, an experienced campaigner, is always there to support him if something goes wrong. Despite a tough outing in the previous match where he conceded the highest number of runs, Chakravarthy expressed gratitude to his teammates and the management for their unwavering support.
He concluded, “After the last match, many people like Abhishek Nair and Shah Rukh Khan spoke to me and gave me inspiration. From now on, the cheerleader girls should dance only if we hit sixes instead of fours,” ending on a cheerful note.
With this victory, Kolkata strengthens its position in the IPL 2024 standings, showcasing their determination and teamwork on the field.