DC VS KKR MATCH 16

Right then, we have had 16 matches so far in this year's competition and the points table is starting to take shape with a few teams standing out and a few teams having a tough time. There's still a long, long way to go but it is now about building momentum. Next up is a clash between Gujarat and Punjab in Ahmedabad which will take place on Thursday, 4 April and will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). You can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Sunil Narine is the Player of the Match for his devastating knock at the top of the order, his 14th time winning the award, joint-highest for Kolkata in the tournament alongside Andre Russell. Narine says cricket is all about batting and it is much more pleasing but at the end of the day, he still enjoys his bowling. Adds that he has one role with the bat and knows it well and reckons that they do have great batters in the side and he just does his job. Mentions that Phil Salt is aggressive at the other end which takes pressure off him and he doesn't want to play too many dot balls either. Ends by saying that they want to win games by big margins and thankfully, it all went well for them in this game.

Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of Kolkata says that they thought 220 would be a good total and 270 plus was the icing on the cake. Says Sunil Narine's job is to go out there and free his arms. It's a big positive that he gets them to a flying start in the Powerplay and takes on the bowlers. Appreciates Angkrish Raghuvanshi and says he was fearless and also lauds his work ethic. Adds he is a smart batter and the shots were pleasing to the eyes. Mentions it is great to see the bowlers stepping up and taking timely wickets and most importantly says they complemented each other well. Says Vaibhav Arora was brilliant with the ball and took important wickets. On being asked about Harshit Rana's injury, he says he was feeling a bit of discomfort in his shoulder area. Ends up by saying that you always have to be down to earth, especially in a tournament like this.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Shreyas Iyer won the toss and had no hesitation to bat first as the pitch looked like a batting paradise and the Kolkata batters proved it as well. Phil Salt was quick out of the blocks but it was Sunil Narine who after a few plays and misses, went berserk. Narine kept hitting the ball to the fence and over the fence. Young Angkrish Raghuvanshi who was sent up the order matched Narine shot-for-shot and the duo piled on the misery on the Delhi bowlers. Everyone that came in to bat after that kept finding the fence with the likes of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh playing formidable cameos to take Kolkata to 272 massive runs, the second-highest total ever in the competition. Delhi started off decently with the ball but after the first two overs or so, everything changed and they went for plenty. No one was able to curtail the flow of runs and they missed the services of Kuldeep Yadav in that middle phase heavily as well. In reply, Delhi got into early trouble and even after a couple of solid knocks, they ended up losing by 106 runs.

Kolkata's lead pacer, Mitchell Starc is now down for a chat. Starc says that he didn't change too much and in a game of T20, you need to move on pretty quickly and it's not the start he wanted personally but the positive is that the team is winning. Adds that it is T20 cricket and it can be brutal at times, especially on the bowlers and you need to take a bit of luck whenever you can get it. Jokes a bit about getting his fellow Aussies batters out and is happy that the team bowled well. On Vaibhav Arora, he says that Vaibhav used the short ball well and for him, it is mostly about talking to the young guys in the nets and ends by saying that their bowling was fantastic in this game.

Rishabh Pant, the Delhi skipper is down for a chat. He begins by saying that the bowlers were just all over the place and it was one of those days where nothing went to their favor. Adds that as a batting unit, they talked about going as hard as possible. It's better to get all out than not trying to chase the target. On being asked about reviews, he states it was too loud and there was some issue with the screen and says nothing can be done about it. He says that it's time to reflect from an individual point of view and come positive in the next game. On being asked about his fitness, he states he is doing well and enjoying his time in the field.

Delhi had a win under their belt coming into this match but needed another win to really get up and running. However, it turned out to be a total disaster from their perspective as their bowling which was the most economical inside the Powerplay this season went for 80 plus runs in this match. Once that happened, everything went downhill. With the bat, it was a very, very tough ask but certainly, the top order could have done a lot more. Prithvi Shaw was the first one to get out and Mitchell Marsh once again flopped. Abishek Porel came in as the Impact Player but got out on a duck and David Warner too couldn't kick on. Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs though played a couple of stellar knocks which will be a huge positive for Delhi. However, they need to perform better as a team if they want their season to get back on track.

Wow, what a win here for Kolkata as they make it three wins out of three to start the campaign and go joint top with Rajasthan on 6 points. This is also the first time in 17 seasons that Kolkata have won their first three games of the season. Yes, the foundation was laid in the first innings by the batters and it was a score that was almost impossible to even dream of but the pacers too did a stellar job in the Powerplay. The Impact Player, Vaibhav Arora made an instant impact by picking up Prithvi Shaw, and after that Mitchell Starc joined the party, getting rid of both his fellow Aussies as Arora got his second wicket too and Kolkata had 90% of the game in the bag then and there. There was some quality ball-striking from the opposition in the middle phase but that was bound to happen on such a good pitch. Varun Chakaravarthy too got wickets at the right time and ensured that Kolkata not only won the game but did so by a big margin as well. Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy ended with three wickets each.

OUT! TAKEN! DONE AND DUSTED! KOLKATA WIN BY A HUGE MARGIN OF 106 RUNS! This is the first time they have won the first three games on the trot in this competition. This is a well-directed bumper on the stumps, Anrich Nortje mistimes the pull shot straight into the hands of the skipper Shreyas Iyer stationed at mid on. A massive victory for Kolkata which will tremendously inflate their net run rate. They still remain unbeaten in this season and climb to the top of the table.

Slow and on a length, Anrich Nortje swings and misses.

Short again and outside off, Anrich Nortje pulls it and gets it off the bottom end of the bat towards mid off for a single. Excellent bowling spell from Vaibhav Arora as he finishes off with tremendous figures of 4-0-27-3.

Bowls a slower one on a shortish length, Anrich Nortje cuts it off the top edge that flies over the slip cordon. They take two.

WIDE! A steep bumper on the stumps over the batter's head. Wide given.

A vicious bumper angling on the bodyline, Ishant Sharma moves away to the leg side and fends it off to the leg side before scampering for a single. Phil Salt throws the ball quickly and has a shy at the bowler's end. It hits Ishant in the process.

Nails a precise yorker, Ishant Sharma somehow jams his bat and squeezes it to the off side.

Short in length again around off, Ishant Sharma moves to the leg side and looks to cut but gets beaten.