On Thursday, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals showcased an impressive performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders, which got their season up and running. The visitors were bowled out for 127, and in reply, the hosts were cruising at 62/1 after seven overs.
This led KKR skipper Nitish Rana to introduce himself into the attack with his part-time off-spinners. While Rana got immediate success by dismissing Mitchell Marsh with his second ball, an incident in the same over almost got him in trouble with the officials.
With David Warner on strike and Nitish Rana bowling around the wicket, Rana froze for a few seconds just as he was about to deliver the fifth ball. This move appeared to be influenced by his compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin, who frequently employs this technique to unsettle batsmen and disrupt their rhythm in crucial moments.
However, there was a significant difference in Rana’s execution. While Ashwin merely slows down during his delivery, Rana came to a complete stop, which goes against the laws of the game. As anticipated, the umpire cautioned Rana about his altered action before the next delivery.
The DC camp seemed more relieved than elated, sweating profusely after a dramatic turnaround in the match. They had been cruising at one point, reaching 61 for 1 in 6 overs, but KKR managed to mount a comeback. Nitish Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy bowled exceptionally well, and the Impact Player, Jason Roy, also made a valuable contribution.
However, Sunil Narine had an off day, which worked against KKR. Despite their seemingly modest total of 127, it appeared to be enough for a while. DC’s bowling was impressive, but their batting performance, aside from David Warner’s efforts, was lackluster. KKR’s spinners bowled 16 overs, making it challenging for DC to time their shots against them. Although DC got their first win, KKR suffered their third consecutive defeat.