We are back for the second essay. The two umpires have made their way out to the middle as have Rishabh Pant and his men. It will be the explosive left-hand right-hand combination of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt to open the innings for Kolkata. Lizaad Williams has the new ball in hand and he is raring to go. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Right then, despite how the back end of the innings panned out for them, Kolkata will be the happier of the two sides. Yes, the wicket is on the slower side, and 154 is a tricky target, but Kolkata have the batting depth to get over the line. Kuldeep Yadav has given Delhi something to bowl at, and given the help that Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy got, Kuldeep and Axar Patel will relish bowling on this surface. Wickets in the Powerplay will be the key for Delhi to put Kolkata on the back foot early. Join us in a bit to see how the chase unfolds.

Vaibhav Arora is in for a chat. He says that he had gotten a chance against Delhi previously and got a chance here again. On Shai Hope's wicket, he says he perfectly executed the outswing which pitched on that perfect length and got him the wicket. Adds that his strength is with the new ball and he likes to swing it both ways. Says that the wicket is on the slower side and they have done well to restrict them to a smaller target and should be able to get it done

As for Kolkata, they would have loved to bowl Delhi out but they will still be happy with where they are at this stage in the game. At the start, Mitchell Starc in his quest to get the new ball to swing, erred in the first over but soon fought back in his second over. His new ball partner, Vaibhav Arora was much more disciplined and was rewarded with two wickets in the Powerplay. Having conceded more runs than they would have wanted to in the first six overs, the onus was on their spinners to put a leash on the scoring rate in the middle phase. Harshit Rana gave them an opening and soon Varun Chakaravarthy came through for his side, picking the big wickets of Pant and Stubbs. Chakravarthy ruled the roost with support from Narine to pile the misery on Delhi. Despite having Delhi on the ropes in the 15th over, Kolkata failed to clean up the tail, conceding 41 runs in the last five overs.

Delhi have limped their way to a respectable total! Tottering at 111-8 at one stage, this has been a good recovery from Delhi to end up with 153 on the board. After Rishabh Pant called it right and opted to put runs on the board, Prithvi Shaw got off the blocks quickly with three boundaries in the first over. He fell in the second over and the young Aussie sensation, Jake Fraser-McGurk had a rare short stay at the crease. Shai Hope could not do much either but Rishabh Pant and Abishek Porel batted with intent and made the Powerplay count. Porel failed to kick on as a poor shot selection led to his downfall. Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel began a rebuild job but the Delhi skipper, having dropped on 18, could not capitalise on the reprieve. Patel and Stubbs failed the trial by spin as did the Impact Player, Kumar Kushagra. Being reduced to 111-8 in the 15th over, Delhi were in danger of being bowled out inside the 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav joined hands with Rasikh Dar, adding valuable runs. Kuldeep batted through for his side when the chips were down and remained unbeaten on 35 to take them past 150.

Andre Russell to Kuldeep Yadav, FOUR! Manages to get a boundary off the last ball and Delhi have reached a decent total at the end of the innings. Russell bowls a back-of-a-length delivery, angling it across outside off, Kuldeep Yadav looks to pull but is way too early on the shot yet manages to get a top edge that flies over the keeper for four runs.

Andre Russell to Kuldeep Yadav, Drops the length short and bowls it wider on off, Kuldeep Yadav looks for the cut over point but misses out. Kuldeep Yadav sends it upstairs for a wide call review. The replay confirms that the ball was well within the tramline and will be a fair delivery.

Andre Russell to Kuldeep Yadav, Lands the yorker right outside off, Kuldeep Yadav jams it just short of backward point where Ramandeep Singh dives ahead and collects it on the bounce. The batters set off for a run and Ramandeep Singh throws it at the nonstriker's end with nobody backing up. The batters scamper across for the second run.

Andre Russell to Kuldeep Yadav, Digs it in short but does not offer any pace, on off, Kuldeep Yadav swings for the pull but connects with thin air.

Andre Russell to Kuldeep Yadav, Slower and into the wicket, around off, Kuldeep Yadav shapes up to go big on the off side but the ball comes on slower onto the bat and only manages to push it off the toe-end back to the bowler.

Andre Russell to Kuldeep Yadav, FOUR! Streaky but worth it! Russell bangs the deck on a shorter length outside off, Kuldeep Yadav looks to fend it out and manages to get an outside edge past the third man for a boundary.

Who will bowl the last over? It will be the birthday boy, Andre Russell. Can he bowl Delhi out under 150?

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, Bowls this on a length and outside off, Kuldeep Yadav just nudges it to the off side and gets a single and will retain the strike for the final over.

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, WIDE! Tries another bouncer but sprays it down leg for an extra.

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, A well-directed bouncer that! Hits the deck over middle and leg, Kuldeep Yadav looks to dab it on the on side but fails to make connection.

Harshit Rana to Lizaad Williams, On a shorter length and around middle and leg again, Lizaad Williams tucks it to deep mid-wicket region for a single.

Harshit Rana to Lizaad Williams, On a length and around middle and leg, Lizaad Williams looks for the flick but misses. The ball brushes the pads and goes straight back to the keeper.

Lizaad Williams is the last man in for Delhi.

Harshit Rana to Rasikh Dar, OUT! CAUGHT! Rana makes up for the dropped catch and Delhi lose another one. Comes from over the wicket and bowls it on a length and into middle with pace off, Rasikh Dar gets deceived by the pace off and lobs it straight into the hands of Shreyas Iyer at mid off who takes the easiest of catches.

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, On a back of a length outside off, Kuldeep Yadav backs away and cuts it to deep cover for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Kuldeep Yadav, LEG BYES! A loud appeal by Vaibhav Arora for LBW and the umpire turns it down. Shreyas Iyer sends it upstairs. Arora bowls this full and angling in around middle and leg, Kuldeep Yadav looks for the swing but misses out and it hits his pads. The UltraEdge reconfirms that there was no inside edge but the Ball Tracking shows that the wickets were missing as the ball was drifting down leg. The on-field call stays and the batters get a run.

Vaibhav Arora to Kuldeep Yadav, Bowls this full and into middle and off, Kuldeep Yadav gets on a knee and looks for a lofted drive but is beaten.

Vaibhav Arora to Rasikh Dar, Goes full and into the stumps, Rasikh Dar jams it to deep square leg for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Kuldeep Yadav, Pitches it on a good length and into middle and leg, Kuldeep Yadav looks to flick it away but gets an inside edge off his pads and to the leg side for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Kuldeep Yadav, Beaten again! Lands this perfectly on that length just outside off and gets the ball to angle back in, Kuldeep Yadav looks to drive it through off but is beaten on the outside edge again.

Vaibhav Arora to Kuldeep Yadav, Angles this one in on a hard length and outside off, Kuldeep Yadav looks to cut it square but is beaten.

Harshit Rana to Rasikh Dar, FOUR! Not where he intended to send it but gets enough on this one. Rana bowls this on a back of a length outside off, Rasikh Dar looks to ramp but the ball is not too short. He manages to get a cue end on it sending it past the keeper for a boundary.

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, Hurls this on a length and into the pads, Kuldeep Yadav tucks it away to deep backward square leg for one.

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, Digs the short one over off, Kuldeep Yadav looks to ramp it over the keeper but misses out.

Harshit Rana to Rasikh Dar, Goes full and into the stumps, Rasikh Dar flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Harshit Rana to Kuldeep Yadav, Angles this one back in again on a good length and around middle and leg, Kuldeep Yadav manages to get an inside edge onto his pads and towards the off side for a single.

Harshit Rana to Rasikh Dar, LEG BYES! An appeal for LBW by just the bowler. Rana comes from over the wicket and bowls it on a back of a length, pitching outside off and gets the ball to jag back into the right-hander. Rasikh Dar looks to keep it out but misses and gets hit high on the front pad. The batters cross as the ball trickles away to the off side.

Strategic break! Kolkata have dominated the middle phase on the back of a three-wicket haul by Varun Chakaravarthy. Both Narine and Chakaravarthy have finished their quota of 4 overs and the onus is now on the pacers to knock off the remaining two Delhi wickets. Kuldeep Yadav needs to bat through for Delhi and give them something to bowl at.

Mitchell Starc to Kuldeep Yadav, FOUR! Adding gold to the scorecard is Kuldeep Yadav! Mitchell Starc misses the yorker yet again and bowls a low dipping full toss into the stumps, Kuldeep Yadav flicks it well this time and gets it in the gap at deep square leg for four more runs.

Mitchell Starc to Kuldeep Yadav, FIVE WIDES! A low full toss drifting down leg side. Kuldeep Yadav looks to flick it away but misses out. The ball evades Phil Salt behind the stumps too and races away to the fence for a boundary.

Mitchell Starc to Kuldeep Yadav, SIX! Starc almost had his plan perfectly executed but Harshit Rana drops this one. Mitchell Starc angles this one in on a shorter length and into the bodyline, Kuldeep Yadav pulls it straight to deep backward square leg where Rana gets under it moving to his left and tries to catch it with both hands and spills it out and palms it over the ropes for a maximum.

Mitchell Starc to Kuldeep Yadav, Looks for the yorker and lands a low full toss tailing back into the left-hander, on off, Kuldeep Yadav punches it to mid off.

Mitchell Starc to Rasikh Dar, Goes fuller and into the stumps, Rasikh Dar flicks it well to deep mid-wicket and gets to the other end.

Mitchell Starc to Rasikh Dar, Digs this short and hits the deck hard at 140.5kph, over middle and leg, Rasikh Dar ducks and leaves this one alone.

Mitchell Starc to Rasikh Dar, Steams from around the wicket and bowls a full toss outside off, Rasikh Dar looks to push it through off but is beaten.

Varun Chakaravarthy is done for the night as he finishes with figures of 3 for 16 from his four overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi comes in as the Impact Player for Kolkata, replacing Chakaravarthy. A change in bowling as Mitchell Starc comes back into the attack.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Kuldeep Yadav, Bowls this on a fuller length just outside off, Kuldeep Yadav with soft hands just pushes it to the off side.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Rasikh Dar, Tosses this one up and into middle and leg, Rasikh Dar pushes it to long on for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Rasikh Dar, Another loud appeal for LBW and the umpire turns this one down. Varun Chakaravarthy convinces the skipper Shreyas Iyer to send it upstairs for a review. Chakaravarthy darts this one fuller and into the stumps, Rasikh Dar gets low on a knee and looks to sweep it square of the wicket on the leg side but misses out. The ball crashes onto his front pad. The replays roll on and the impact was outside off and the onfield call stays as NOT OUT!

Rasikh Dar comes to bat at number 10 for Delhi

Varun Chakaravarthy to Kumar Kushagra, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Varun Chakaravarthy has his third wicket now! The Impact Player departs without any impact for Delhi. This is on a nagging length, on off, turning in a bit, Kumar Kushagra gets half-forward to stab it down the deck. Gets an inside edge onto the flap of the front pad. It lobs over the batter but the keeper, Phil Salt is aware where the ball is and grabs it with ease over his head with his left hand.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Kuldeep Yadav, At the stumps, fuller and quicker, Kuldeep Yadav reverse sweeps it towards backward point for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Kuldeep Yadav, EDGED AND FOUR! Fortuitous boundary for Kuldeep Yadav! Googly by Varun Chakaravarthy, on a nagging length, around off, Kuldeep Yadav has a poke at it and gets an outside edge that goes past the left thigh of the keeper and beats the dive of Shreyas Iyer at first slip to his right for a boundary.

Sunil Narine to Kuldeep Yadav, Loops it up again, full and around off, Kuldeep Yadav looks to work it through the off side but it comes off the inner half of the bat and rolls on the leg side for a single.

Sunil Narine to Kuldeep Yadav, FOUR! Streaky but a boundary nonetheless for Delhi after 23 balls. Tosses it up, full and on middle, Kuldeep Yadav goes for the sweep but fails to roll his wrists to control the sweep. Gets a top edge that lands in the vacant short fine leg region and races away for a boundary.

Sunil Narine to Kuldeep Yadav, Bowls this straight and into the stumps, Kuldeep Yadav blocks it back to the bowler on the front foot.

Kuldeep Yadav walks out to bat at number 9 for Delhi.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, OUT! DRAGGED ON! It was just a matter of time before Sunil Narine got into the act! Delhi slip further. Comes from over the wicket and bowls it short and around off, Axar Patel gives himself room and tries to play it through the off side with an angled bat. Turns in a touch, enough to catch the inside edge and it goes back onto the stumps.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Beaten! Slower and shorter, outside off, Axar Patel frees his arms and goes for the cut but connects with thin air.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Good stop! Short and around off, Axar Patel hangs back and punches it from right under his eye line towards cover where Shreyas Iyer dives to his right and saves at least a couple of runs.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Kumar Kushagra, This one goes straight, short and on off, Kumar Kushagra whips towards deep mid-wicket and keeps the strike with a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, This is on a nagging length, on off, Axar Patel waits on the back foot and drops it with soft hands in front of point for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Fuller delivery, slanting in, on middle, Axar Patel turns this one from the crease to mid-wicket.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Sliding in, at the stumps, short as well, Axar Patel covers the line of the ball and keeps it out.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Kumar Kushagra, Turning into the batter, short and on middle, Kumar Kushagra plays it with the turn towards long on for a single to get off the mark.

Kumar Kushagra the impact substitute replacing Prithvi Shaw walks out to bat at number 8 for Delhi.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Tristan Stubbs, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! The dreaded finger goes up and this is a massive wicket for Kolkata. Varun Chakaravarthy prizes out another big scalp and Delhi are in more trouble now. Varun Chakaravarthy pushes it through to the right-hander, on a nagging length, outside off, Tristan Stubbs stays on the back foot and shapes up to cut this one away but the ball is not short enough. The ball skids off the deck and catches the cue-end of the bat. The keeper, Phil Salt gets his gloves in the correct position and lets the ball nestle into the gloves.

Sunil Narine to Tristan Stubbs, Gives the ball air and slows it up as well, full and on off, Tristan Stubbs gets a good stride in and knocks it with a straight bat to long off. Retain the strike with a single.

Sunil Narine to Tristan Stubbs, Keeps the length short and around off, Tristan Stubbs rocks on the back foot and pats it in front of backward point.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Short and just outside off, Axar Patel gives himself room and cuts it hard towards backward point where Rinku Singh lets it through his legs and concedes a single.

Sunil Narine to Tristan Stubbs, Floats it up, on a fullish length, on off, Tristan Stubbs turns it towards wide long on. The batters think about the second but Rinku Singh gets to the ball quickly and keeps it down to one.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Sliding onto the pads, short as well, Axar Patel tucks it through square leg and rotates the strike.

Sunil Narine to Tristan Stubbs, On a nagging length, on off, Tristan Stubbs stays back in his crease and stabs it down on the off side.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Swing and a miss! Tossed up nicely, inviting the big shot from the batter, outside off, Axar Patel swings to go down town but misses. Phil Salt takes the bails off but Axar has his back leg grounded inside the crease.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Fuller in length, around off, Axar Patel presses forward and defends it solidly on the off side.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Pushes it through, short and on off, Axar Patel gets on the back foot and steers it to backward point.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Tristan Stubbs, Looped up, low full toss, on off, Tristan Stubbs drives it to long off and gets off the mark with a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Tristan Stubbs, Turning into the right-hander, slower through the air, on a nagging length, on middle and leg, Tristan Stubbs looks to play at it but it spins in to hit him on the thigh pad.

Tristan Stubbs walks out to bat next for Delhi.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Rishabh Pant, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Shreyas Iyer makes no mistake and Varun Chakaravarthy has finally got his man! Rishabh Pant fails to make his second life count and this is a big blow to Delhi. Chakaravarthy comes from around the wicket and floats it up nicely, full and on middle, Rishabh Pant gets down on one knee and goes for the slog sweep. The ball is too full to play the slog sweep and it catches the top edge. It goes high in the night sky towards cover where Shreyas Iyer settles under it and takes it near his chest.

Vaibhav Arora to Axar Patel, A touch shorter and outside off, Axar Patel dabs it to point.

Vaibhav Arora to Axar Patel, FOUR! This is even better! Arora continues to bowl short and gets punished! Hits the deck hard over off and gets the ball to climb up on the left-hander, Axar Patel this time makes some room and cuts it over backward point for another boundary.

Vaibhav Arora to Axar Patel, FOUR! Beats the man at deep third and gets the second off the over. Arora bowls this shorter and over off, Axar Patel rocks back and gets on top of his toes before ramping it fine of deep third for a boundary.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, Just short of Andre Russell! Arora continues to drop it short and bowls this on a back of a length and into the stumps, Rishabh Pant pulls it off the upper half of the bat aerially falling short of Andre Russell at deep mid-wicket for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, Switches from around the wicket and drops the length short over middle and off, Rishabh Pant looks for the pull but misses out as the ball crashes into his abdomen off an inside edge.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, FOUR! Picks the gap beautifully! Arora comes from over the wicket and bangs this on a length and just outside off, Rishabh Pant waits back and cuts it past backward point and short third for four runs.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, A tad shorter in length and outside off, Axar Patel punches it to left of deep cover and gets two runs to end the over.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Pushes it through, short and on off, Axar Patel pats it from the crease to extra cover.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Sliding in, short and on middle, Rishabh Pant punches it down to long on for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Rishabh Pant, Slants this one in on a shorter length drifting on leg, Rishabh Pant gets on a knee and sweeps it over short fine leg for a couple of runs.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Axar Patel, Fuller and into the pads, Axar Patel flicks it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Rishabh Pant, DROPPED by Harshit Rana! How costly can that turn out to be? Varun Chakaravarthy starts from around the wicket and pushes this one on a fuller length and into the stumps, Rishabh Pant covers the line and looks for the flick but gets a top edge, lobbing the ball straight towards Rana at short third who settles underneath it but spills it out.

Time for spin from both ends as Varun Chakaravarthy comes on to bowl.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Tosses this one up, into the pads, Rishabh Pant slips on one knee and looks to sweep it over but only manages to get inside edge onto the pads and it loops over the keeper for a single.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Drags the length short and bowls it just outside off, Axar Patel punches it to long off for a single.

Sunil Narine to Axar Patel, Turning away from the left-hander, on a nagging length, on off, Axar Patel reads it well and stabs it down on the off side.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Bowls this fractionally fuller and outside off, Rishabh Pant cuts it well to deep cover for a single.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Shorter in length, outside off, Rishabh Pant whips it to deep mid-wicket for a brace.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Bowls this nicely on a fuller length around off and gets the ball to grip and turn back into the left-hander, Rishabh Pant is cramped in the crease but manages to keep it out as the bat falls off his hands.

Harshit Rana to Axar Patel, A great over this from Harshit Rana conceding just one run and getting a wicket! On a back of a length and angling into the left-hander around middle and off, Axar Patel rocks back and stabs it down the pitch.

Harshit Rana to Axar Patel, Bowls this fuller and wider on off, Axar Patel leans on it and drives it to cover.

Axar Patel is in at number 6 for Delhi.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, OUT! TIMBER! Yet again, a strategic break resulted in a lapse of concentration. Abishek Porel falls prey to the change in field and Delhi lose their fourth wicket. Rana bowls this nicely on a length and into the stumps, Abishek Porel with the short fine leg in the circle gets across the line and looks to scoop this one over but makes an absolute mess of it. He misses the line completely and the ball zips through to rattle the stumps off.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, Another well-directed bouncer! Hits the deck on a shorter length over off, Abishek Porel backs away a bit and looks to ramp it over the keeper but the ball climbs on him as he misses to connect.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, Digs this short and hits the deck hard at 138kph, over middle and leg, Abishek Porel swivels in the crease looking for the pull but leaves this one go through to the keeper.

Harshit Rana to Rishabh Pant, Comes from around the wicket and hits the length right and gets the ball to angle back into the left-hander, Rishabh Pant punches this one crisply to deep cover for a single.

Strategic break! It has been an eventful start to the game. Despite the loss of three wickets, Delhi have managed to maintain a good tempo to their innings and will look to bat in the same fashion in the middle overs. A lot will rest on the shoulders of Rishabh Pant against the Kolkata spinners as Delhi look to dominate the middle phase. As for Kolkata, they did well to pick three wickets but have not quite been able to dry up the boundaries. With the ease in field restrictions, they would want to stem the flow of runs and put Delhi on the back foot with a couple of wickets more.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Too straight this time and into the stumps, Rishabh Pant flicks it well off his pads to deep square leg and gets a single to end the over and the Powerplay with 67 runs on the board for the loss of 3 wickets.

Sunil Narine to Abishek Porel, Lands this fuller and into the stumps, Abishek Porel goes deep in the crease and punches it to mid on for a single.

Sunil Narine to Abishek Porel, Digs this short and wider on off, Abishek Porel cuts it well but straight to point.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Pushes this one quicker and fuller on off, Rishabh Pant eases it to cover and gets a single.

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, SIX! Great shot that from the skipper! Narine bowls this shorter in length and into the bodyline, Rishabh Pant gets low and pulls it away beautifully over deep square leg for a biggie!

Sunil Narine to Rishabh Pant, Starts from over the wicket and bowls this wider on off and on a fuller length, Rishabh Pant extends his arms and carves it straight to the fielder at point.

Harshit Rana to Rishabh Pant, Angling in, around the off-stump line, on a good length, Rishabh Pant taps it with soft hands in front of Shreyas Iyer at extra cover and scampers across for a single.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, Switches to around the wicket and serves it on a good length, on off, Abishek Porel punches it with a straight bat to mid off and calls Rishabh Pant through for a quick single.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, FOUR! Intelligent batting! Arora takes pace off and goes fuller in length this time, outside off, Abishek Porel waits for the ball to arrive and plays it late to get it past short third and beats deep backward point to his right for another boundary. 14 runs off the first four balls.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, SIX! Hit with real authority! Length delivery, outside off, Abishek Porel gets down the track quickly and extends his arms to smack it over cover for a maximum. 50 comes up for Delhi.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, FOUR! Nicely done! Lands it on a hard length, outside off, Abishek Porel gets on his toes and allows the ball to come to him before playing the upper cut over the keeper for a boundary.

Harshit Rana to Abishek Porel, Angled across the left-hander from over the wicket, at 140.1 kph, full in length, Abishek Porel's eyes lit up as he goes for the drive away from the body but fails to connect.

Harshit Rana comes into the attack.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, FOUR! Width offered and Rishabh Pant obliges! Too full and wide on off, Rishabh Pant gets low and latches onto the width in a flash. Hits it along the ground and gets it through covers for a boundary to get off the mark.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, Comes from around the wicket now does Arora and slants it back in, full and outside off, Rishabh Pant caresses the drive but it goes straight to cover.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, Keeps it full and around off, Rishabh Pant drives it straight but can't get it past mid off.

Vaibhav Arora to Rishabh Pant, WIDE! Full but it goes down leg, Rishabh Pant misses the tickle and it is called as a wide by the umpire.

The skipper, Rishabh Pant walks out to bat at number 5 for Delhi.

Vaibhav Arora to Shai Hope, OUT! CASTLED! An absolute peach by Vaibhav Arora! The decision to bring Arora back into the mix is doing wonders for Kolkata. Arora stays over the wicket and bowls it on a good length, angling into the right-hander, at the top of the off-stump, Shai Hope hangs on the back foot and tries to cover the line of the ball. He plays for the ball angling into him but the ball nips away slightly and whizzes past the outside edge to clip the off-stump. The left bail comes off and the crowd erupts. Delhi in early trouble.

Vaibhav Arora to Shai Hope, SIX! Not the most convincing shots but Shai Hope is away! Vaibhav Arora digs it in short and aims it at the helmet of the batter, Shai Hope gets himself into a tangle and hops to get the pull shot away. Takes his eyes off the ball but still goes through with the shot. Helps it over the fine leg fence for a maximum.

Vaibhav Arora to Abishek Porel, This is on a back of a length, on off, Abishek Porel punches it in front of mid off and gets to the other end quickly.

Mitchell Starc to Shai Hope, On a fullish length, outside off, Shai Hope is late on the drive and fails to get any bat on it. End of a wicket-taking over from Starc.

Shai Hope walks in at number 4 for Delhi.

Mitchell Starc to Jake Fraser-McGurk, OUT! TAKEN! Mitchell Starc has the last laugh! After being hit for a maximum and a boundary, Starc fights back to win the Aussie battle. Starc comes from around the wicket and cramps the batter for room. Bowls it on a length and at the batter, Jake Fraser-McGurk gets his front leg out of the way again and has a heave across the line. The bat twists in his hand and it comes off the bottom part of the bat. It goes flat and low towards deep square leg. Venkatesh Iyer seems to have misjudged it initially but does well to dive low and takes the catch near his shoe laces. Both Delhi openers back in the hut inside the first three overs.

Mitchell Starc to Jake Fraser-McGurk, FOUR! Easy pickings! Starc looks to go full but ends up serving a full toss, outside off, Jake Fraser-McGurk uses the angle to his advantage and opens the bat face to slice it between backward point and short third for a boundary. This is turning out to be another expensive over from Starc.

Mitchell Starc to Jake Fraser-McGurk, SIX! Not a wise option by Starc and he gets punished by Jake Fraser-McGurk! Starc attempts a bumper, on off and middle, Jake Fraser-McGurk gets this one at a good height and moves away to the leg side nice and early. Slaps it over long on for the first maximum of the night.

Mitchell Starc to Abishek Porel, Superb effort in the deep! Starc gets the line wrong as he strays on the pads, Abishek Porel clips this full delivery behind square on the leg side. Ramandeep Singh at deep square leg, sprints across to his left and puts in a full-length dive to save three runs for his side.

Mitchell Starc to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Almost sneaked through! Starc nails the yorker, on middle and leg, tailing back into the right-hander, Jake Fraser-McGurk clears his front leg but does well to adjust to the delivery and jabs it out on the leg side for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Abishek Porel, Swing and a miss! Switches to around the wicket and delivers it full in the channel on off, Abishek Porel shimmies down the track and swings to go down town but connects with thin air.

Vaibhav Arora to Abishek Porel, Fuller in length, on off, Abishek Porel leans into the drive and hits it towards cover.

Vaibhav Arora to Abishek Porel, A mix-up but no harm done! Sees the batter back away and follows him with a full delivery, Abishek Porel gets hit on the pads and the ball rolls to mid-wicket. Jake Fraser-McGurk sets off for the run but gets sent back in the nick of time by his partner.

Vaibhav Arora to Abishek Porel, WIDE! Going down leg, on a length, Abishek Porel looks to help the ball on its way but fails to get any bat on it.

Abishek Porel walks out to bat at number 3 for Delhi.

Vaibhav Arora to Prithvi Shaw, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! A confident review by Kolkata and they have it spot on! Vaibhav Arora strikes in his first over on his return to the side. Not the best of deliveries by Arora as this is on a length, on the pads, it is there for Shaw to help it away towards fine leg. Prithvi Shaw attempts the tickle but only manages to get a feather on it and Phil Salt dives to his left to take it. Salt goes up in appeal but the umpire is unmoved. As soon as Kolkata send it upstairs, Shaw starts walking and the UltraEdge shows a spike.

Is that out? There's a huge appeal for caught behind and the umpire turns it down! Kolkata sends it upstairs for the review. The replays roll on and the UltraEdge confirms that there was a spike and the onfield call is asked to be overturned to OUT!

Vaibhav Arora to Prithvi Shaw, Arora bowls it on a hard length, on off, Prithvi Shaw gets on his toes and dabs it to the left of backward point where the fielder makes a good stop.

Vaibhav Arora to Jake Fraser-McGurk, Leg bye! Hooping inswinger by Arora, on a fullish length, at the toes, Jake Fraser-McGurk shapes up for a hoick across the line but the ball is too full and the ball brushes his toes and rolls to the left of the keeper for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Jake Fraser-McGurk, NO BALL! Uh oh! False start for Vaibhav Arora! Goes into the wicket and it is angling down leg, Jake Fraser-McGurk goes for the pull but connects with thin air. The ball dies down and Salt collects it on the bounce diving away to his left. Arora has overstepped and a Free Hit will follow now.

It will be Vaibhav Arora to share the new ball from the other end.

Mitchell Starc to Jake Fraser-McGurk, A big, big shout for LBW but turned down! Shreyas Iyer indicates that there might have been bat involved and they do not take the review. Starc errs in length and ends up bowling a low full toss, on leg, Jake Fraser-McGurk clears his front leg and goes for a swipe across the line. Gets an inside edge back onto the back leg and the batters cross as the ball rolls on the leg side. End of an eventful first over.

Mitchell Starc to Prithvi Shaw, Another one from Starc that slides onto the pads on a good length, Prithvi Shaw clips it through square leg for a single.

Mitchell Starc to Prithvi Shaw, Play and a miss! Full and angled across the right-hander, Prithvi Shaw frees his arms and goes for a drive away from his body and gets beaten on the outside edge.

Mitchell Starc to Prithvi Shaw, FOUR! As good as it gets! Starc continues his search of swing and gets a hint of inward shape, full and at the stumps, Prithvi Shaw shows the full face of his bat and drives it to the left of the bowler. Starc sticks out his left boot but fails to cut it off and it goes past the stumps for a boundary.

Mitchell Starc to Prithvi Shaw, FOUR! Prithvi Shaw does not miss out this time! Too full and shaping back into the pads, Prithvi Shaw stays balanced in the crease and allows the ball to come to him. Flicks it over square leg for the second boundary of the over.

Mitchell Starc to Prithvi Shaw, WIDE! Slips down leg in search of swing, fuller in length, Prithvi Shaw misses the tickle and it is called a wide.

Mitchell Starc to Prithvi Shaw, FOUR! Just a push and it races away! Lovely start for Prithvi Shaw and Delhi. Starc steams in from over the wicket and goes full, around off, gets the ball to swing back in, Prithvi Shaw gets half-forward and times the drive between cover and mid off for a boundary.

We are on the brink of the game's commencement as the two umpires stride out to the centre followed by the Kolkata team who march out to take their positions on the field. It will be Prithvi Shaw and Jake Fraser-McGurk who stride confidently to the crease as the designated openers for Delhi. Mitchell Starc has the new ball in hand and is poised to unleash the first delivery. Away we go..

Sunil Narine is in for a chat. When asked about the loss in the last game, he replies that it was a tough loss but it was an exciting game. Adds that they learnt a lot from that game and hopes to execute the plans better. Feels that they need to minimize the amount of big overs and restrict the opposition. States that he always tries to execute as best as he can and looks to find ways to contribute positively to the team. He says that if either he or Phil Salt get going, it sets a positive tone for the team.

The captain of Kolkata, Shreyas Iyer says they would have bowled first anyway. Adds that the team had some chat in the break and they try to keep things simple, especially after a loss like the previous one. Mentions that they have two changes to the squad and Mitchell Starc along with Vaibhav Arora come into the squad.

The captain of Delhi, Rishabh Pant says that they will bat first. Mentions that the way their team is poised, they would like to put a good score on the board. Feels that the wicket is on the slower side and he expects the ball to stick in the wicket later in the game. Informs that Prithvi Shaw comes in for Kumar Kushagra and Rasikh Dar will start in place of Mukesh Kumar. States that the confidence is high in the group and the talk has been to take one match at a time

Impact substitutes nominated by Delhi - Mukesh Kumar, Sumit Kumar, Pravin Dubey, Kumar Kushagra, Ricky Bhui.

Delhi (Playing XI) - Prithvi Shaw (In for Kumar Kushagra), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Rasikh Dar (In for Mukesh Kumar), Lizaad Williams, Khaleel Ahmed.

Impact substitutes nominated by Kolkata - Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Kolkata (Playing XI) - Phil Salt (WK), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc (In for Dushmantha Chameera), Vaibhav Arora (In for Angkrish Raghuvanshi), Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.

TOSS - Rishabh Pant wins the coin flip and Delhi elects to BAT first.

PITCH REPORT - Daren Ganga and Simon Katich are near the deck. Ganga starts by saying that out of the 5 games played here so far, teams have crossed 200 on 8 occasions. Feels that teams have gone with the left-hand right combination at this venue due to the unequal boundaries. Tells that 59 metres and 71 metres are the dimensions of the square boundaries, with the straight hit being 79 metres. Katich joins him and says that this wicket is rock hard and the ball will come on nicely onto the bat. He adds that the bowlers will have their work cut out once again and says that there will not be much dew tonight. Katich opines that Delhi bowlers will have to replicate what Bengaluru bowlers did against Sunil Narine, which was to bowl full and wide. He mentions that pitch number 4 is the same surface where Rajasthan chased down 223 on the back of a Jos Buttler hundred and feels that batters will enjoy batting out here.

Delhi had a slow start to the season, managing just one win from their first 5 matches, but they have turned things around, winning 4 of their next 5 games. Currently placed sixth in the standings, a victory against Kolkata will help Delhi leap to the second spot. Jake Fraser-McGurk, in his debut Indian T20 League season, has taken the tournament by storm. Alongside Tristan Stubbs and Rishabh Pant, he has played a crucial role in Delhi's resurgence. Featuring as the Impact Player, Rasikh Dar has impressed, and Mukesh Kumar has led the pace attack well in the absence of Ishant Sharma. While Lizaad Williams may have had a tough debut, the team will rely on him to deliver with the new ball. Earlier in the season, when these two sides met at Visakhapatnam, Kolkata came out on top in an absolute run-fest. Can Shreyas Iyer and his men do the double over a resurgent Delhi? Let's find out. Toss and team news coming up in a bit.

Kolkata are coming off a tough defeat where they failed to defend a formidable total of 261 runs on the board. Nonetheless, they find themselves in a strong position, holding the second spot with 5 wins from 8 games. While Sunil Narine has been stellar, his spin partner Varun Chakaravarthy is yet to hit his stride, and Harshit Rana's form has dipped after a promising start to the season. The possible return of Mitchell Starc will bolster their bowling attack. With the bat, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt have put the opposition bowlers under the pump from the get-go, a key factor in Kolkata's success so far. Although the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer are yet to fully fire, the explosive opening pair has made up for any shortcomings.

Hello and a warm welcome, everyone, to our coverage of match number 47 of the Indian T20 League between Kolkata and Delhi at the iconic Eden Gardens. As we enter a new week in the 17th edition of the Indian T20 League, we have an exciting encounter ahead of us. Two teams, both known for their batting prowess, will clash at a venue that recently witnessed the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket. With such batting firepower on display, another high-scoring thriller could be on the cards.

... MATCH DAY ...

The dawn of a new week in the 2024 Indian T20 League and a crucial one at that too. We are firmly in the second half of the group stage fixtures and in Match 47, a couple of teams vying for the playoff places will go up against each other with Kolkata welcoming Delhi at the Eden Gardens Stadium to kickstart the new week. Both teams have 10 points on the board thanks to five wins but Kolkata have just played 8 games whereas Delhi have played 10 games and have only four more group stage games remaining. The home side, Kolkata have been pretty solid throughout the tournament but come into this game on the back of a gutting loss against Punjab in which they failed to defend 261 runs. Delhi on the other hand were very shaky to begin with but have won 4 out of their last 5 games and seem to be on a roll. Kolkata started off with three wins in a row but since then they have gone on to lose three out of their next five games, the latest one being against Punjab. They are still in a very good position to qualify for the playoffs but would want to bring some control back with a win. The opening pair has been nothing short of phenomenal for Kolkata with Sunil Narine and Phil Salt firing on all cylinders and Kolkata have managed to go past the 200-run mark with ease in multiple games and the middle order has also been able to contribute with the likes of skipper Shreyas Iyer playing handy cameos when required. It is their bowling that has really hurt as you would never think that a team scoring 260 plus in a T20 game would not end up on the winning side but that did happen and the pacers really have been very inconsistent. Narine has not only been their best batter but he has been excellent with the ball as well. Varun Chakaravarthy has had a fairly lacklustre season and their big-money purchase in the auction, Mitchell Starc has gone for plenty of runs and hasn't found any rhythm. Starc was benched in the last game with Dushmantha Chameera coming in and that literally made no difference. On the other hand, Delhi, who conceded 272 runs against this very opposition early in the season, seem to be a completely different side now. A few changes in the batting personnel has worked wonders as Jake Fraser-McGurk has come in and taken the tournament by storm, not even sparing the great Jasprit Bumrah in the last game. Skipper, Rishabh Pant is amongst the leading run-scorers this season and the consistent hitting from Tristan Stubbs towards the end of the innings has really been the hallmark. The bowlers have been hit and miss but the two spinners, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav have remained fairly consistent, with Axar keeping things tight and Kuldeep picking up wickets. Khaleel Ahmed has been able to get big wickets in the Powerplay and Mukesh Kumar has done a reasonable job at the death. Th addition of Rasikh Dar as the Impact Player in their last two games has made a big difference as the young pacer has come in and bowled difficult overs and has picked up wickets as well. Delhi are on a roll but those early losses mean, they cannot afford to lose more than a game or two. This is certainly a big game given the nature of the points table right now but that makes it all more worth watching for the neutrals. Who are you backing for the win?