Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders registered their third win in Pepsi IPL 2015 after they defeated the Delhi Daredevils by six wickets at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. After asking the hosts to bat first and restricting them to a modest 146, KKR, powered by Gautam Gambhir’s composed half-century, knocked off the runs in the 19th over.

On a pitch which definitely had more in it for the bowlers than the batsmen and called for application from the batsmen, the KKR skipper Gambhir showed how it had to be done as he dropped anchor, held one end up and steered his team home. There was nothing flashy about the southpaw’s innings; every occasion the ball was on his pads or was in his arc, he converted them to boundaries. But if the delivery called for respect, he was prepared to do so and picked up plenty of singles.

The chase started on a solid note with the opening pair adding 31 in four overs before Robin Uthappa and one-drop Manish Pandey perished in the space of four deliveries. Suryakumar Yadav entertained with a brief cameo; he was middling the ball well and picked up two boundaries and a six, before feathering the ball to the wicket-keeper while attempting to run the ball down to thirdman. The team realised 48 runs from the association between Yadav and Gambhir.

Yusuf Pathan survived a close lbw appeal early in his innings, and for the second time in two innings, opted to play second-fiddle. But after getting his eye in, he too opened up, hitting six boundaries and a six in his 26-ball knock. He was involved in a 65-run partnership with his captain, who perished with his team on the brink of victory. Gambhir attempted to cut an Imran Tahir delivery, but dragged it back onto his stumps; he made 60 from 49 (aided with eight boundaries). Yusuf remained unbeaten on 40 when Ryan ten Doeschate struck the winning runs.

For the Delhi Daredevils, the two new-ball bowlers – Domnic Joseph, Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Imran Tahir were the wicket-takers. The two leg-spinners – Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir, who were expected to be the team’s strike weapons, returned with combined figures of 1 for 52 from 7.1 overs.

Earlier in the evening, after being put in to bat, Delhi Daredevils struggled for momentum for major part of their innings. Several batsmen got off to starts, but Manoj Tiwary’s 32 would be the highest score of the innings. The 37-run partnership between Tiwary and Yuvraj Singh for the fourth wicket would be the best of the innings. With the right-hand left-hand pair at the crease, it appeared that the hosts were headed towards a total of 160.

But Tiwary’s dismissal in the fourteenth over derailed the innings once again. Yuvraj Singh (21 from 19 balls) hit two fours and a six before he was dismissed off the last ball of the fifteenth over – giving Piyush Chawla his 100th IPL wicket.

From 103 for 5 when Yuvraj Singh was dismissed, DD finished their allotted twenty overs at 146 for 8. 20 of those 43 runs came in the 19th over when Angelo Mathews hit Sunil Narine for two sixes and a four.

Opener Shreyas Iyer was the other noteworthy performer among the DD batsmen; the Mumbai-lad, who had top-scored in his team’s victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad, made 31 from 24 balls, aided with three boundaries and a six.