After losing five games the Capitals finally seal their first victory. You could see that they worked for it. Delhi Capitals finally earned their first win of IPL 2023, breaking a five-game losing streak, but it did not come easy. Despite chasing only 128 after their best bowling performance of the season, their batters struggled with Kolkata Knight Riders overloading on spin bowling. If it wasn’t for David Warner’s fourth fifty of the season and Axar Patel staying on till the end, it could very well have been 0-6 for the hosts.

Even though their batting brought life late into the contest, it was the Capitals bowlers in the first innings who set up the win. Ishant Sharma – playing his first IPL game since May 2021 – took 2 for 19 in four overs, while Anrich Nortje (2 for 20) made batting difficult with his extra pace. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar ran through the middle order by sharing four wickets, while Mukesh Kumar impressed with his new-ball and yorker skills.

They ensured Knight Riders’ batters struggled to put in a cohesive performance yet again. Knight Riders made four changes to their playing XI but except for Jason Roy’s 43, their batting needed direction. While their spinners dug deep, the target was too low. They have lost four games out of six, three on the trot.