After their IPL match on Monday, April 29th, KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan gave DC director of cricket Sourav Ganguly a heartwarming surprise. Ganguly was chatting with KKR all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer when SRK gave him a bear hug at the Eden Gardens. Ganguly, known as the “Prince of Kolkata,” was KKR’s inaugural icon player when the tournament began.
The association between Ganguly and KKR was short-lived, as he was released by the team after two consecutive seasons of poor performances. His rift with coach John Buchanan led to his forced exit. However, any past tensions were resolved years ago; Ganguly supported KKR’s logistics during his tenure as President of the Cricket Association of Bengal.
After serving as president of the BCCI, Sourav Ganguly took on a new role with the Delhi Capitals (DC) as Director of Cricket. When Ganguly appeared on the big screen at Eden Gardens, he received thunderous cheers from the crowd. The emotional embrace between Ganguly and team co-owner Shah Rukh Khan after the match evoked nostalgia.
After a shocking loss to PBKS, KKR rebounded to defeat DC by 7 wickets at Eden Gardens on April 29, 2024. KKR comfortably chased the target, finishing with 21 balls remaining. The win strengthened KKR’s hold on the second spot. Meanwhile, DC are now in a precarious position, needing victories in the remaining games to qualify for the playoffs.
The decision to bat first backfired as they could only manage 153 runs for 9 wickets. Prithvi Shaw struck Mitchell Starc for three boundaries in the opening over, but Vaibhav Arora dismissed the key batter in the very next over. From there, the Delhi side lost momentum and struggled to build a competitive total.
KKR openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine got off to a blistering start, smashing 79 runs in the powerplay overs to bring the required run rate below six per over. Salt, the leading run-scorer for KKR this season, raced to a 27-ball fifty and finished with a fiery 68 off 33 balls, powering them to a seven-wicket victory, this was KKR’s 6th win in 9 matches.