New Delhi: Big-hitting opener Finn Allen produced a stunning unbeaten century off just 47 balls to power Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a clinical eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
Allen’s superb knock, laced with five fours and ten sixes, ensured KKR completed a chase of 143 with 34 balls to spare and helped the three-time champions seal their fourth consecutive win of the season. He was ably supported by Cameron Green, who hit 33 not out off 27 balls, as the duo shared an unbroken 116-run stand off 64 balls.
Where KKR’s spinners had suffocated Delhi’s batters into submission and kept them to 142/8, Allen ensured no such misery awaited his side by launching a ferocious assault on DC’s bowling attack that rendered the target an afterthought.
KKR began positively from the first ball, as Allen drove and whipped Mitchell Starc for boundaries. Though DC briefly halted KKR’s charge – captain Ajinkya Rahane’s stay ended with a freak run-out at the non-striker’s end as Mitchell Starc’s outstretched hand touched the ball before rolling onto the stumps, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi attempted a sweep off Axar Patel, but the ball rolled off his gloves to hit the stumps. Allen had other plans entirely.
Once Cameron Green arrived to steady the innings, Allen simply refused to be contained – cutting, sweeping and thumping with authority to bring up his fifty off 32 balls via a scoop off Starc over fine leg – which was both effortless and imperious.
The middle overs belonged emphatically to KKR, as Kuldeep Yadav was dispatched repeatedly. Allen pulled him over deep mid-wicket and then thumped him straight down the ground, while Green launched a monstrous six off the same bowler over deep mid-wicket.
Leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam bore the heaviest punishment as Allen smashed three consecutive sixes off the leg-spinner in the 13th over – twice over long-off and once with a ferocious pull through deep mid-wicket – before moving into the nineties with another towering maximum off Kuldeep.
Allen fittingly finished off the chase and got his century in style by dispatching Mukesh Kumar into the stands over mid-wicket for six. DC’s spinners conceded 102 runs from nine overs for just one wicket, as Allen made merry to get a thumping win for KKR.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 142/8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 50, Ashutosh Sharma 39; Kartik Tyagi 2-25, Anukul Roy 2-31) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 147/2 in 14.2 overs (Finn Allen 100 not out, Cameron Green 33 not out; Axar Patel 1-27) by eight wickets
(IANS)
