IPL 2025: Sunil Narine guided KKR to a crucial 14 run win over DC

Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive by clinching a 14-run win over Delhi Capitals in what was always expected to be a do-or-die clash in IPL 2025 on April 29. While a fighting effort from Vipraj Nigam kept DC in the game until the final over, it was the stand-in captain Sunil Narine who guided KKR to a much-needed win.

The clash was defined by dramatic captaincy shifts. In the first innings, DC skipper Axar Patel left the field during the death overs after injuring his finger while fielding, with Faf du Plessis stepping in to lead. In the second innings, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane exited with a similar concern, and Sunil Narine took over leadership duties — delivering a winning performance.

With Rahane off the field, Narine's on-field leadership started tilting the match in KKR’s favour. He delivered a key breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous KL Rahul for just 7 with a direct-hit run out.

Narine brought himself on in the 14th over—and that is exactly when the game began to shift in KKR’s favour. While Faf du Plessis, with his 62, and Axar Patel, with a gritty 38, looked threatening, Narine broke the momentum by dismissing the fighting DC captain. He capped off the over by removing the dangerous Tristan



Stubbs on the final delivery, piling pressure on the opposition.

Although DC still carried a fair bit of confidence in their 205-run chase, it fizzled out further when Narine returned in the 16th over and struck again—this time getting rid of Faf du Plessis to deal a massive blow to Delhi’s hopes.

One of Narine’s boldest calls came when he handed the 17th over to Varun Chakravarthy — who had been ineffective until then. Chakravarthy repaid the faith with just eight runs and two big wickets: impact sub Ashutosh Sharma and Mitchell Starc in back-to-back deliveries. The equation left too much for Vipraj Nigam to do alone in the final overs.

Batting first, KKR had a fiery start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narine smashing their way to a 79-run powerplay — their best of the season. Rahane contributed as well before retiring hurt. Venkatesh Iyer failed yet again, registering his fourth single-digit score of the season, raising questions around his role in the side.

It was Rinku Singh (36 off 25) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44 off 32) who powered KKR to 205, while the middle order once again struggled to contribute meaningfully. Despite the big total, much of the credit went to KKR’s bowlers for sealing the win.