IPL: Delhi Daredevils win without injured skipper Kevin Pietersen
Sunday 20 April 2014 13:03, UK
Half-centuries from Dinesh Karthik and JP Duminy helped Delhi Daredevils to their first win of the Indian Premier League season, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets in Dubai.
Set a target of 167, stand-in skipper Karthik set up the run chase with a 40-ball 56 and Duminy's 52 not out steered the Daredevils over the winning line with three balls to spare.
Karthik was leading the side as former England batsman Kevin Pietersen was again ruled out by the finger injury that also forced him to miss the season-opening defeat to Bangalore Royal Challengers on Thursday.
The game turned Delhi's way in the 18th over of their run chase when, with 32 still needed, Duminy took his fellow South African Morne Morkel for 21 runs, including back-to-back sixes.
The left-hander went on to finish the game off by launching Piyush Chawla's leg-spin over the boundary rope for the third six of his 35-ball effort. The result snapped Delhi's seven-match losing run dating back to last season.
The Knight Riders had earlier made 166-5 after opting to bat first under floodlights in Dubai.
Robin Uthappa top scored with 55 and was well supported by Manish Pandey (48) in a third-wicket stand of 64 after both openers - Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis - had gone for ducks.
