Delhi Capitals survived a late wobble to register their first victory of IPL 2023 on Thursday, following a run of five straight defeats.
Captain David Warner continued his good run with the bat as his innings of 57 helped Delhi beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets in a low-scoring contest.
Returning fast bowler Ishant Sharma, playing his first IPL match since 2021, registered excellent figures of 2-19 to help bowl out Kolkata for 127 in the late match.
Delhi, however, made tough work of their modest chase and after Warner's fourth half-century of the season, achieved their target with four balls to spare in a rain-delayed match that went past midnight.
Kolkata wicketkeeper Litton Das missed two stumping chances late in Delhi's chase to release all pressure.
Warner's innings came after Australia selectors on Wednesday retained him in the squad for the World Test Championship final and first two Ashes tests.
The left-handed batsman said Delhi's struggles at the top of the order meant he had to curb his aggressive style.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the IPL 2023 match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, April 20. Sportzpics for IPL -
Tim Cook, centre, and actress Sonam Kapoor, second left, during the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Sportzpics for IPL -
Delhi Capitals' Axar Patel, right, and Lalit Yadav celebrate their win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. AFP -
Axar Patel remained unbeaten to guide Delhi Capitals to victory over Kolkata Knight Riders. AFP -
Kolkata Knight Riders' Nitish Rana celebrates after taking the wicket of Delhi Capitals' Aman Hakim Khan. AFP -
Delhi Capitals captain David Warner scored another fifty. AFP -
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell, left, and Jason Roy run between the wickets. AFP -
Kolkata Knight Riders' Jason Roy top-scored for his team. AFP -
Delhi Capitals' Kuldeep Yadav, foreground, after taking the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' Anukul Roy. AFP -
Ishant Sharma, playing his first IPL game in two years, was named player of the match on Thursday. AFP
"There's going to be a lot of critics out there to suggest that I haven't been batting the way that I normally bat," the 36-year-old said.
"But when you lose three weeks in a row ... what can you do? You can't really do anything, you've got to have some sense of responsibility."
Tech giant Apple chief executive Tim Cook was present at the Arun Jaitely Stadium on Thursday evening to watch the game. It was his second appearance at an IPL game.
Cook was in Delhi to help launch an Apple store in the national capital.
"Credit to the bowlers that if we can fight with this total then the coming matches should be good," Kolkata skipper Nitish Rana said after the game.
"They batted well in the powerplay and we came back well, but we were 15-20 runs short."
