Destroys Daredevils

Rawalpindi Express destroys Daredevils

He's finally here. And how.

After much controversy, speculation, waiting and the like, Shoaib Akthar(Kolkata Knight Riders) finally stepped on to the field in a Knight Riders uniform. And to what sensational effect!

Setting out to defend a modest total of 133, Shoaib decimated the much vaunted Delhi top order with a fiery spell of 4 for 11 off his three overs. Sehwag could only edge to Saha. Gambhir sliced one to point. AB DeVilliers was beaten for pace, miscueing an intended pull. Manoj Tiwari was beaten by the angle, struck palpably in front. Game over.

This is a stadium and a crowd that he loves, and they love him right back. The charismatic speedster revelled in the atmosphere, celebrating each wicket in his inimitable style, and supercharging the Knight Riders' morale on the pitch. He was very much the man of the moment, and the whole of Kolkata loved him for it.

Of course, the other Knight Riders bowlers continued the job that Akthar began. Laxmi Rattan Shukla mopped up the tail in one amazing over. Ashoke Dinda rearranged the stumps of the in-form Shikhar Dhawan. Ganguly and Ishant Sharma gave nothing away. Delhi looked nothing like the tournament favourites they are projected to be, while the Knight Riders seemed to have well and truly overcome their mid-tournament slump.

The fielding, too, was decisive.Shukla and Saha combined brilliantly to run out the dangerous Dilshan. Dinda, on his follow through, picked up and hit the stumps at the bowlers end to send Maharoof packing. Stumps were hit, catches were taken, runs were saved.

Earlier, the Daredevils would have been happy with their performance on the field. Though the Eden Gardens wicket hasn't really yielded big runs in this tournament, they would have felt that 133 was eminently gettable for a team that boasted two of the IPL's top run getters in Sehwag and Gambhir. Only Salman Butt, and to a lesser extent David Hussey, had any measure of the Delhi attack, and Sehwag would have been delighted with the total, given that he lost the toss.

However, he didn't reckon with a magical spell from the world's fastest bowler. For the Kolkata fans, it's been a long wait to see him in action, but it's been worth every minute.