Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have kept their playoff hopes alive in IPL 2026. KKR registered its fourth consecutive win by defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 8 wickets on its home ground on Friday. The heroes of this victory were KKR’s spinners and New Zealand’s explosive batsman Finn Allen, who made the match completely one-sided by scoring a stormy century.
Delhi Capitals, who came to bat first, had a good start. Pathum Niska and KL Rahul Added runs cautiously. Nissanka looked aggressive from the beginning and hit some brilliant shots in the powerplay. The Sri Lankan batsman completed his half-century in 29 balls, while Rahul scored 23 runs.
4️⃣5️⃣(31) to 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣(47) in NO TIME 🔥
If you blinked, you would have certainly missed a 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘇 to seal the deal in Delhi 🤯💥
RELIVE his 10 sixes ▶️ https://t.co/HGVpdoL2sh#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #DCvKKR | @FinnAllen32 pic.twitter.com/OdTNhOInWk
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 8, 2026
However, as soon as the powerplay ended, KKR’s spinners took complete control of the match. Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine And the trio of Varun Chakraborty did not give Delhi batsmen a chance to play freely. Varun put a break on the run rate by bowling tightly, while Narine increased the pressure further by dismissing Sameer Rizvi.
After this Anukul Roy turned the match in a single over. First he got Nissanka stumped out who had completed his half-century, then Tristan Stubbs was also sent to the pavilion. Delhi team completely disintegrated in the middle overs and kept losing wickets continuously.
Had Ashutosh Sharma not played a quick inning of 39 runs in 28 balls, Delhi would have struggled even to reach 100 runs. Ashutosh hit three fours and three sixes and took the team to 142/8.
Anukul Roy took 2 wickets for KKR, while Narine and fast bowler Karthik Tyagi also achieved important successes. Vaibhav Arora and Cameron Green also bowled economically.
Can KKR play playoffs now?
Kolkata Knight Riders have made the race for the playoffs exciting by defeating Delhi Capitals. KKR is now in seventh place with 9 points from 10 matches and the team’s hopes are still alive. Four consecutive wins have boosted the team’s confidence, but the road ahead is going to be very difficult.
A 𝙆night of sheer dominance 🔥@KKRiders chase down the 🎯 with 34 deliveries to spare and make it 4⃣ wins on the trot 👊💜
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/NaWLphmJKY#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #DCvKKR pic.twitter.com/e3cpW0J2Xq
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 8, 2026
How was KKR’s run chase?
KKR, which set out to chase the target of 143 runs, faced two setbacks in the beginning. Ajinkya Rahane was run out, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi Was out unfortunately. But after this Finn Allen attacked the Delhi bowlers in such a way that the match ended quickly.
Allen hit sixes in every corner of the field. He scored unbeaten 100 runs in just 47 balls, which included 10 sixes and 5 fours. Delhi bowlers looked completely helpless in front of his explosive batting. KKR achieved the target in just 14.2 overs.
KKR still has four matches left, which are to be held against RCB, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. The team can reach a maximum of 17 points. To make it to the playoffs, KKR will have to win at least three of its remaining four matches. Along with this, the team will have to maintain improvement in net run rate and will also have to expect defeat of the top-4 teams.
The good thing for KKR is that the team’s batting now looks stronger than before. With the arrival of a batsman like Finn Allen in form, the top order has got new strength, while the spin department is continuously working to win the matches. However, another defeat could almost spell doom for the team.
On the other hand, the situation of Delhi Capitals has become very bad. After seven defeats in 11 matches, the team is considered almost out of the race for the playoffs. Now DC will not only have to win its remaining matches, but will also have to depend on the results of other teams.
The next match between KKR and DC to be held on 24th May could be do or die for both the teams. The league stage of IPL 2026 has now reached the crucial juncture, where every win, every run and net run rate can change the picture of the playoffs.
With this win, the team has reached seventh place in the points table, while Delhi Capitals’ seventh defeat in 11 matches almost ended its playoff hopes.
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