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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) continued their remarkable late-season resurgence in the Indian Premier League 2026 with a dominant eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday, as Finn Allen delivered a sensational unbeaten century to keep KKR firmly in the playoff race.
Chasing a modest target of 143, Kolkata cruised to 147/2 in just 14.2 overs, driven by Allen’s explosive 100 not out off 47 deliveries. The New Zealand opener dismantled Delhi’s bowling attack with a fearless display of strokeplay, smashing 10 sixes and registering his maiden IPL hundred in one of the standout innings of the season.
The victory marked KKR’s fourth consecutive win after a disastrous start to their campaign and lifted them to seventh place in the standings, swapping positions with Delhi Capitals, who slipped to eighth following their fifth defeat in the last six matches.
After surviving an early wobble that saw both Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi dismissed cheaply, Allen completely shifted the momentum in Kolkata’s favour. He attacked pace and spin alike with relentless aggression, ensuring the required rate never became a factor. Cameron Green provided valuable support with a composed 33 as KKR completed the chase with 34 balls remaining.
Allen’s innings also underlined his growing stature in T20 cricket globally. The 26-year-old became the first New Zealand batter to score three T20 centuries in a calendar year, adding his IPL ton to previous hundreds for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League and New Zealand during the T20 World Cup. He is also only the second New Zealand batter to score a century in IPL history.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals once again struggled to put together a complete batting performance despite a promising start from Pathum Nissanka. The Sri Lankan opener struck a fluent 50 off 29 balls, while Ashutosh Sharma added 39, but DC failed to capitalise during the middle overs and finished with an underwhelming 142/8.
Kolkata’s bowling attack maintained control throughout the innings, with Kartik Tyagi and Anukul Roy claiming two wickets each. Spin duo Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy once again played a crucial role by drying up boundaries and forcing Delhi’s batters into errors during the middle phase.
Despite the defeat, KL Rahul reached a major personal milestone during the innings. Delhi Capitals batter became the first player in IPL history to score more than 1,000 runs for three different franchises, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and now Delhi Capitals. Rahul also became the quickest player to reach 1,000 runs for Delhi, achieving the feat in just 23 innings.
For Delhi Capitals, however, the broader concerns continue to deepen. Their batting has lacked fluency and intent in recent matches, particularly during the middle overs, and the latest defeat marked their fifth consecutive loss at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season, the second-worst home losing streak in the franchise’s history.
KKR, meanwhile, appear to have found momentum at the perfect time. After scraping through a pair of close victories earlier in the tournament, the three-time champions have now delivered back-to-back commanding run-chases, significantly strengthening their hopes of a late push toward the playoffs.
Allen was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten century that capped off a clinical all-round performance from Kolkata Knight Riders.
Scorecard:
Delhi Capitals: 142-8, Overs 20, Pathum Nissanka 50, Kartik Tyagi 2/25
Kolkata Knight Riders: 147-2, Overs 14.2, Finn Allen 100*, Axar Patel 1/27
The post IPL 2026: KKR climb in standings after Allen’s stunning century sinks DC appeared first on SportsMint Media.