In yet another enthralling contest this season, the Knights mounted a formidable fightback defending a modest score of 127 in a 4 wicket loss to Delhi Capitals. After passing showers and wet conditions forced a 1 hour delay, DC won the crucial toss and elected to bowl in conditions that weren't the best for batting first.
The Knights, who made 4 changes to the side, went with an all new opening pair in Jason Roy and Litton Das. However, Litton Das and Venkatesh Iyer were dismissed early on a track that was not conducive to stroke making.
Jason Roy, held up one end while regular wickets kept falling on the other on his way to a well made 43. He was joined by Russell in the 12th over with the score reading 70/6 but fell shortly after, leaving Russell with the task to get the Knights to a respectable score. A late flurry of maximums from Russell helped the Knights get to 127.
The Knights fought back admirably in the 2nd half with the spinners striking regularly to keep the Knights in the game despite David Warner's early onslaught which threatened to take the game away from the Knights. Skipper Rana who has played all his domestic cricket in Delhi, read the conditions beautifully and led an inspiring effort with the ball alongside Varun Chakravarthy and Anukul Roy. The trio combined to share 6 Delhi wickets, picking 2 each, which put Delhi under considerable pressure before they got home with 4 balls to spare. A couple of close shouts and referrals which didn't go our way could have really made the difference in this game of fine margins.
Following the loss, skipper Nitish Rana said the Knights were 10-15 runs short of a defendable score on the night. Rana said it was disappointing for him personally to not contribute to the batting effort tonight but said it was encouraging to see the bowling unit make use of the surface and give DC a hard fightback.
The Knights will now return home to face Chennai Super Kings on Sunday at the Eden in a bid to get maximum points to stay in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs.
