Delhi Capitals finally ended their losing streak with a hard-fought victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the 28th match of TATA IPL 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on April 20, 2023. DC's collective bowling effort, in which four bowlers picked up two wickets each, led to KKR's dismissal for 127 runs. In response, DC's David Warner's 57 off 41 balls and Axar Patel's unbeaten 19 off 22 ensured that DC secured their first win of the season.
The opening partnership of David Warner and Prithvi Shaw provided DC with a solid foundation to chase down the target of 128. The duo smashed six fours in the first three overs, with Warner hitting five of them. KKR introduced spin early on and Varun Chakravarthy removed Shaw, dragging one onto the stumps, for 13 runs. Warner then went after Sunil Narine, hitting four fours in the last over of the Powerplay, taking 17 runs off it, and taking DC to 61/1 at the end of six overs.
KKR then clawed their way back, picking up two quick wickets. Rana removed Mitchell Marsh for 2 and Anukul Roy dismissed Phil Salt for 6. DC reached the halfway mark with a score of 73/3. Warner and Manish Pandey released the pressure with a couple of fours off Anukul, with Warner bringing up his fifty off 33 balls.
Chakravarthy trapped Warner LBW for 57 off 41, as he missed his reverse sweep, and bowled a wicket maiden in the same over. With 35 runs needed off 36 balls, DC lost Manish Pandey and Aman Khan in the same over to Rana, who conceded just three runs. DC required 18 runs off 26 balls, and Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav had to steer the team home. KKR missed a stumping opportunity off Varun Chakravarthy, and DC required 12 runs off 12 balls.
In the penultimate over, Rana conceded just five runs, leaving DC to score seven runs off the last over. Kulwant Khejroliya bowled the last over, but he gave away a crucial two runs due to a misfield at short fine leg. The next delivery was a no-ball, which Axar Patel flicked for a couple. The free-hit was also dispatched for a couple, and DC won by five wickets with five balls to spare. Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 19 off 22, playing a crucial knock to take DC over the line.
Earlier, DC captain David Warner won the toss and chose to bowl first. The KKR batsmen struggled against DC's bowling attack, with Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, and Axar Patel picking up two wickets each. KKR could only manage 127 runs in their innings, with none of the batsmen scoring a fifty.
In conclusion, DC's bowling unit and David Warner's fifty paved the way for their first victory of the season, while Axar Patel's unbeaten 19 off 22 saw them over the line in a thrilling encounter.