DC vs KKR Highlights, IPL 2026: Finn Allen smashes maiden IPL hundred to power KKR to dominant win over DC

Axar Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Full and around off, driven to widish long off for a run.

Axar Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, On a length, drifting back in. Stabbed off the back foot.

An unlucky way to go for the KKR skipper. Angkrish Raghuvanshi walks out to bat at number 3.

Is that a run out at the non-striker's end? Ajinkya Rahane is already walking off, but the umpires want to make sure. The third umpire sees in the replay that there is a clear deflection from Starc's hand on the follow-through and Rahane is out of his crease. 

Mitchell Starc to Finn Allen, OUT! AJINKYA RAHANE IS RUN OUT! That's the most unfortunate way to get dismissed. 142.2 kph yorker from Starc, tailing in from off to middle. Allen tries to shovel it down the ground but Starc sticks his left hand out on the follow-through. Deflects off his hand and crashes into the stumps at the non-striker's end. Rahane had taken the charge ahead and is found short of his crease. The TV umpire confirms that it has deflected off Starc's hand. Rahane looked solid but has to walk back. KKR are 29/1, chasing 143.

Mitchell Starc to Ajinkya Rahane, Nips in from off, on a fuller length. Rahane tries to work it off side, but inside edges past the leg stump. The ball rolls to long leg for a single.

Mitchell Starc to Ajinkya Rahane, SIX! Picked up and dumped into the crowd! Fuller in length, on middle and leg. Ajinkya Rahane picks the length early and whips it comfortably over deep backward square leg for a biggie.

Mitchell Starc to Ajinkya Rahane, A snorter! Hard length at 141.9 kph, hammered in the channel of off, nipping away. Ajinkya Rahane has a loose poke at it, but gets beaten on the outside edge by a kitten-whisker.

Mitchell Starc to Finn Allen, Too full now, outside off. Allen carves it to the left of mid off. Axar Patel is alert to the situation, gets to his left, dives and stops the ball well. Saves a certain boundary as it was travelling. Just a single then.

Mitchell Starc to Finn Allen, FOUR! Pinned through! On a back of a length, angling away from the batter. Finn Allen stays put and gets his hands through the line off the back foot. Pierces the cover and cover-point gap for a boundary.

Axar Patel to Finn Allen, Smidge fuller than the previous ball and Allen runs it down to long on for a single. 11 runs from Axar's first.

Axar Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, Dropped short on middle. Rahane hangs deep in the crease and nudges it wide of mid on for a single.

Axar Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, FOUR! Finds the gap easily! Tossed up, full and around off. Rahane shuffles leg side of the ball and slashes it past the diving cover fielder to his right for a boundary.

Axar Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, Slides into the batter, on a fullish length. Ajinkya Rahane presses back and watchfully smothers to the leg side. More off the inside edge. 

Axar Patel to Finn Allen, Skids through on a length, on off. Allen punches it across to long on for a single.

Axar Patel to Finn Allen, FOUR! That's a skilful shot! A touch short and sliding back in and around middle. Finn Allen is quick to pivot on the back foot and lofts it over mid-wicket to find the fence.

Decent first over from Mitchell Starc. Spin from the other end as Axar Patel takes up the ball.

Mitchell Starc to Finn Allen, Overpitched delivery, on off, Allen heaves it across, but gets it off the bottom end and it rolls away to deep mid-wicket for a run. 6 runs off the first over.

Mitchell Starc to Finn Allen, FOUR! Plundered down the ground! Slightly on a length, around off, doesn't swing back in much as Starc hoped for. Finn Allen throws his hands at it and blasts it straight down the ground, to mid off's right for a boundary.

Mitchell Starc to Finn Allen, Beaten! Pushed wide outside off, very full in length. Finn Allen collapses the back knee and reaches out for it, trying to drive past cover, but misses connect.

Mitchell Starc to Ajinkya Rahane, Hard length, at 141.3 kph, this is bashed outside off. Ajinkya Rahane stands tall and cuts it over backward point, on the bounce to the fielder in the deep. A single and Rahane gets himself and KKR underway.

Mitchell Starc to Ajinkya Rahane, Full again, just outside off, curving back in. Ajinkya Rahane commits on the front foot and drives it straight to mid off.

Mitchell Starc to Ajinkya Rahane, On target! Bring the ball back into the batter, on a fuller length, around middle. Rahane gets on the front foot, tries to drive away, but gets an inside edge to mid-wicket.

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle now. Delhi Capitals bring in Kuldeep Yadav as their Impact Sub, replacing Ashutosh Sharma. Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen are the two openers for Kolkata Knight Riders. Mitchell Starc will start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

KKR's spin choke leave Delhi reeling - Kolkata Knight Riders could manage only one wicket in the Powerplay, but it was the massive scalp of KL Rahul, removed by Kartik Tyagi. Once the fielding restrictions were lifted, though, KKR's spinners began to tighten the screws as they so often do. Narine was outstanding with figures of 1/17, while Varun Chakaravarthy went wicketless but kept things extremely quiet from one end. Anukul Roy's double strike shifted the momentum firmly in Kolkata's favour, while Green and Arora chipped in with important contributions as well. Tyagi then capped off a fine spell brilliantly, finishing with 2/25 and conceding just three runs in the final over. While this may look like a middling total, such targets have often produced thrillers in the IPL. However, Delhi Capitals will need early wickets in the Powerplay if they are to make a game out of this. They are yet to successfully defend a total this season and will need a special bowling effort tonight to change that. Join us in bit for the second essay.

A man who never ages is up for a chat - KKR's Sunil Narine, on bowling economical spells consistently, says it comes down to hard work and bowling plenty of balls in the nets. On the surface and whether spinners are getting good assistance, he shares that it all depends on how the batters approach the spinners. He adds that batting with intent makes it easier and points out that getting off to a good start in the Powerplay is key for his side. On the turnaround and whether the spinners have led the way, Narine says that when plans come together and work in the middle, it builds self-belief. He stresses that the focus is simply on executing their plans and sticking to them. About the target, he admits that small totals in the IPL are never easy to defend but stresses that it has to be taken seriously. He shares that the goal is to win the Powerplay, keep wickets in hand and make the chase as difficult as possible.

DC lose their way yet again - Despite losing KL Rahul early, Delhi Capitals still managed a solid Powerplay, reaching 55/1. But Kolkata's spinners completely took over after that, drying up the runs and forcing regular wickets. Nissanka stood out with a fine half-century before falling the very next ball, while the rest struggled badly against spin. Axar Patel's slow 11 off 22 summed up Delhi's problems in the middle overs, though Ashutosh Sharma's gritty 39 helped push them to a fighting total.

KKR ahead after clincical bowling show - A fantastic effort with the ball from Kolkata Knight Riders, and they would have gladly taken this total at the start of the game. Delhi Capitals did stage a mini fightback towards the end to push past 140, but it still feels slightly below par. That said, this is not the easiest pitch to bat on, and DC's trio of spinners will need to replicate what their Kolkata counterparts did if they are to make a contest out of this chase.

Kartik Tyagi to Lungi Ngidi, Slower off cutter, short and just outside off. Lungi Ngidi lifts it over the backward point fielder. Cameron Green, the sweeper, runs to his left and is quick to get on the ball. Just a single to finish. A fine, fine last over from Kartik Tyagi. Concedes just 3 runs off it and he ends with brilliant figures of 4-0-25-2. DC FINISH AT 142/8!

Lungi Ngidi comes out to the middle.

Kartik Tyagi to Vipraj Nigam, Way short and at the shoulder height, around off. Vipraj Nigam backs away and pulls it along the ground to deep mid-wicket's left. He wants two but Anukul Roy charges to the ball like a hare and cuts it off. Keeps it down to a single.

Kartik Tyagi to Mitchell Starc, OUT! MITCHELL STARC IS RUN OUT! Kartik Tyagi nails the yorker wide outside off, Starc is late to get his bat down in time to connect. Vipraj Nigam wants the strike and sets off for the bye, but Angkrish Raghuvanshi, the keeper, is quick to release the ball towards the bowler. Tyagi collects it and breaks the stumps with Starc nowhere near the crease.

Kartik Tyagi to Mitchell Starc, Full and outside off. Starc swings and misses, through to the keeper. Vipraj wants the bye but Starc doesn't move an inch from his crease and Nigam is forced to retreat back.

The next batter in is Mitchell Starc.

Kartik Tyagi to Ashutosh Sharma, OUT! HIT HARD AND TAKEN! This was travelling at the rate of knots and Rahane probably had less than a second to react. Too full and just outside off, Ashutosh Sharma takes the front leg out of the way and tries to crash it over cover, but fails to get underneath it and slices it flatly to cover. Ajinkya Rahane runs back and takes a sharp catch above his head at the edge of the ring. Top catch from the KKR skipper. But an equally fantastic knock by Ashutosh Sharma.

Kartik Tyagi to Vipraj Nigam, Short outside off. Vipraj moves across looking to hook over fine leg but gets it high on the bat. Lands short of Angkrish who runs forward. The batters charge across for a single.

Can Kartik Tyagi keep DC under 150 here?

Vaibhav Arora to Ashutosh Sharma, FOUR! Absolutely butchered! Short of a length, around off. Ashutosh Sharma stands tall and blasts it over the bowler's head with a flat-batted angle for a boundary straight down the ground. 13 runs from the penultimate over.

Vaibhav Arora to Ashutosh Sharma, SIX! Oh, hello? Quite an audacious hit. Full and angled away outside off. Ashutosh shuffles a long way across, goes deep in the crease and prepares for the reverse ramp. Launches it over deep third with ease for a six. He has made that look so easy than it really is.

Vaibhav Arora to Vipraj Nigam, Kicks up from a length, around off. Nigam hops on the toes and cuts it uppishly to deep backward point for a single.

End of a very scratchy knock from DC's skipper. Vipraj Nigam walks out to bat now.

Vaibhav Arora to Axar Patel, OUT! TAKEN SPECTACULARLY​! Anukul Roy with a moment of absolute brilliance in the field. He had a pretty average day in the ground fielding, but redeems himself now. Short outside off. Axar doesn't move his feet, swivelling across the line. Miscues the pull shot and it balloons into the deep square leg region. Anukul Roy running in from deep midwicket, dives to his left and takes it in his left hand around waist height, smartly keeping it off the ground as he slides through. Background check confirms it is a clean catch. A painfully slow innings comes to an end for Axar. DC are 128/6.

Vaibhav Arora to Ashutosh Sharma, Full and wide outside off, Ashutosh Sharma plants his front foot across to play the sweep shot, but adjusts late and carves it to deep cover for a run.

Vaibhav Arora to Axar Patel, Bowls wide of the crease from around the stump. Axar shuffles outside leg and Vaibhav fires it onto the pads of the batter to cramp him for room. Patel flicks it to deep mid-wicket for just a run.

Varun Chakaravarthy is substituted by Finn Allen

Vaibhav Arora to bowl the penultimate over. Also, Kolkata Knight Riders bring in Finn Allen as the Impact Sub, replacing Varun Chakaravarthy.

Kartik Tyagi to Axar Patel, Back of a length, with pace taken off and far outside off. Axar reaches out and scythes it to deep point for a single. 10 runs off the over.

Kartik Tyagi to Ashutosh Sharma, Slower bumper at 119.1 kph, on top of middle. Ashutosh Sharma controls the pull shot along the ground towards Anukul Roy at deep mid-wicket. Just a single.

Kartik Tyagi to Axar Patel, Fuller and on off, Axar clears the front leg and drills it away to long on for a single.