Finn Allen played a blistering knock of 100* off just 47 balls to guide Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2026 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday. Chasing a modest target of 143, KKR achieved the target with 34 balls to spare, thanks to Allen’s explosive performance that included 10 sixes and five fours. Cameron Green supported with an unbeaten 33 from 27 balls, ensuring that KKR never looked in trouble.
The chase began aggressively with openers Ajinkya Rahane and Allen, who raced to 29/1 in just 2.5 overs. However, Rahane was run out for 13 by Mitchell Starc at the end of the third over. DC quickly struck again when Axar Patel dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi, leaving KKR at 32/2 after four overs. From there, Allen took charge, dismantling both pacers and spinners with ease. He reached his half-century in just 32 balls, with a six off Starc in the 11th over, moving KKR to 86/2.
Allen then stepped up the aggression, smashing Vipraj Nigam for three consecutive sixes in the 12th over before taking on Kuldeep Yadav, launching two more sixes in the following over. With only three runs needed for victory, Green rotated the strike, allowing Allen to finish the game in style with a towering six, marking his maiden IPL century.
For DC, only Axar Patel (1/27 in 4 overs) and Lungi Ngidi (0/7 in 2 overs) made notable contributions with the ball. Despite their efforts, DC could not stop KKR’s chase, as Allen’s brilliance overshadowed the DC bowling attack. This win marked KKR’s fourth consecutive victory in IPL 2026, placing them in the seventh spot on the points table with four wins from 10 matches.
Earlier, DC posted a total of 142/8 after being put in to bat by KKR. KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka gave DC a solid start, with the pair scoring freely against the spinners. However, DC’s batting collapsed after Rahul was dismissed for 23, and Nissanka was removed for 50. The middle-order collapse was triggered by the spinners, as Anukul Roy and Sunil Narine put the brakes on DC’s progress. Despite a late push from Ashutosh Sharma (39) and a few boundaries, DC’s innings fizzled out as KKR restricted them to a below-par total.
With the ball, Kartik Tyagi (2/25) and Anukul Roy (2/31) stood out for KKR, while Varun Chakravarthy and Narine tightened the screws in the middle overs, choking DC’s batting lineup.
