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Hogg stars as KKR thump Delhi

Veteran Australian spinner steals the show in Kolkata's comprehensive maiden IPL9 win

The match in a tweet: Hoggy and Dre Russ make it look too easy for Kolkata as they chase down 99 in 14.1 to record a thumping win over Daredevils. 

The hero:  Andre Russell is arguably the best T20 allrounder in the game. Last week, Russell’s batting propelled the West Indies into the WT20 final. Tonight it was his new-ball burst of 3-0-24-3 that rocked the young Delhi top order. Russell's three wickets included the in-form Quinton de Kock and two of India’s most promising young batsmen in Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer. The way Russell setup Iyer showcased his ability to outthink the batsman. Russell’s first ball leapt sharply into Iyer’s ribs, next ball was a bouncer that Iyer just avoided, and then came the full and fast one that trapped Iyer plumb in front for duck. Kolkata's spinners might grab the headlines but it was Russell that put it on the platter for them. 

The support cast: Is there better sight in cricket than two wrist spinners, one left-handed, one right-handed bamboozling the batsmen with a series of googlies, sliders and sharp leg-spinners? Brad Hogg and Piyush Chawla put on a clinic of wrist spin bowling to deceive the Daredevils batsmen at will. Between them they finished with figures of 8-0-40- 5. More importantly, it was the fact that Delhi batsmen only managed to lay bat on 18 of the 48 balls bowled to them that indicated the complete dominance of the hosts' tweakers.

WATCH: Hogg, Hastings star with the ball in Kolkata (Aus Only)

The captaincy: When your bowlers are on top it allows the captain to be proactive with field placements, such as having two slips and a short leg in place for spin bowlers in a T20 game. It becomes even more fascinating when the captain decides to field at short leg himself. For close to three over,s KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir stood under the helmet marshalling his troops. He was rewarded when the Daredevils batsmen offered catches to his hungry slip fielders. 

The shot: As if belting four consecutive sixes to win the WT20 was not enough, Carlos Brathwaite decided he just needed one more maximum to ease into the IPL. The first ball from Chawla to Brathwaite was tossed up inviting the big slog. Brathwaite obliged by launching another six into orbit making it five sixes from five balls at the same venue in space of one week. Unfortunately for the Daredevils, Brathwaite innings came to end two balls later.  

The stat: Delhi Daredevils winning percentage now stands at 41 per cent, which is the lowest among all the IPL teams in the past eight seasons. 

The wash-up: At the 2016 IPL auction Delhi had signed Pawan Negi, Chris Morris and Brathwaite for a combination of $4 million. The manner in each of their millionaires were dismissed must have raised the eyebrows of the owners. Each one of them tried to hit out, unwilling to show any form of resistance. Daredevils coaching staff might need to whisper a few wise words into the ears of their million dollar men.  

The next stop: The Knight Riders will stay on home turf to tackle first round losers Mumbai Indians on Wednesday while the Daredevils host Punjab in the north Indian derby on Friday.