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Knight Riders down Daredevils in a canter

Coulter-Nile shines for ladder-leaders, consigning bottom-placed Delhi to another defeat at Eden Gardens

The result: Delhi Daredevils 6-160 (Samson 60, Coulter-Nile 3-34) lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders 3-161 (Gambhir 71*, Uthappa 59, Rabada 2-20) by seven wickets with 22 balls to spare.

The match in a tweet: Ladder-leaders Kolkata douse bottom-placed Delhi's hopes of an upset, as NCN snares three and Gambhir and Uthappa fire once again #IPL

The big four's fifth wheel? There's been plenty of talk about Australia's 'big four' pacemen who can all hit speeds of 140 kph, but don't forget Nathan Coulter-Nile. He's has had a torrid time with injuries in recent summers, thwarting his hopes of a Test debut, but the Western Australian again showed his skill for his new IPL side Kolkata. While he copped some punishment early on, Coulter-Nile found his radar to remove the dangerous Shreyas Iyer and R Pant in quick succession as Delhi looked to accelerate. He got a third when Englishman Chris Woakes took a sharp diving catch on the boundary, the right-armer finishing with 3-34 in what turned out to be a vital bowling effort for the hosts. Coulter-Nile now has 11 wickets from just four games this season.

Image Id: A4C6D7B4250B410884DC338823AAC170 Image Caption: Coulter-Nile successfully appeals for his second wicket of the match // BCCI

The Gambhir-Uthappa show: The Knight Riders are on top of the IPL ladder after nine games and that has plenty to do with the work of Gautham Gambhir and Robin Uthappa at the top of their order. The Indian duo teamed up for their second successive 100-run partnership, only the second time in IPL history the same pair have made century stands in consecutive games. Their 108-run second-wicket partnership against Delhi all but sealed KKR's seventh win of the tournament. They've now struck four hundred-plus stands in IPL run-chases together, another record, and the pair sit first and second in the IPL's all-time leading run-scorers in the second-innnings of a match. 

The drop: It could have been so much different for Delhi had they hung on to an early chance from Uthappa. Kagiso Rabada, who'd already removed pinch-hitting opener Sunil Narine, had the right-hander top-edging and the ball soared high over the leg-side. Three fielders converged but none attempted to catch it, as Amit Mishra threw Sanju Samson some serious shade for what the leg-spinner apparently thought was his teammate's catch.

Discontent and delight in IPL double-header

Aussie pack: Coulter-Nile was the standout in a match featuring just one another Australian in Pat Cummins. The NSW speedster sent down three wicketless overs for Delhi, powerless to stop Kolkata from chalking up the seven-wicket victory.

Image Id: 9220F55CEEAD45BCABC29DAC9E454D6F Image Caption: Cummins sends one down for Delhi // BCCI

The wash-up: The loss leaves Delhi languishing in last place on the IPL table but having played one or two less games than every other side, their season is far from over. They front up again on Sunday in Mohali to face-off against Glenn Maxwell's Kings XI Punjab. Kolkata meanwhile are one win clear of second-placed Mumbai, though they've played one more game than the Indians. The Knight Riders take on David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad next, also on Sunday.

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