While a blistering half-century from KL Rahul laid the foundation, it was a vintage , from , that really propelled to a commanding 40-run win over at . In a match where both sides were playing for pride after being knocked out of the playoff race, Kuldeep showed up back in business, in spectacular fashion, haunting his former franchise with a decisive match winning kind of effort.

The left-arm wrist-spinner’s brutal spell snapped the backbone of Kolkata’s batting lineup, turning a nervous chase, into a full on rout.

Breaking KKR’s Back with Twin Blows

Chasing an imposing target, 204, Kolkata Knight Riders looked pretty dangerous early, they were comfortably placed at 95 for 1, because Ajinkya Rahane came in with a fiery half century. The whole game was flipping fast into KKR’s favor, and then Delhi captain KL Rahul handed the ball over to Kuldeep Yadav, who was carrying heavy pressure after having gone wicketless in his last three outings.

Kuldeep answered like a veteran match winner. Right away he struck early by removing Cameron Green cheaply, and then in his next over he landed the really decisive blow for Kolkata. First he managed to draw a key error from a well set Rahane (63), and the veteran batter ended up slicing a flighted delivery right to David Miller.

Once he smelled weakness, Kuldeep kept going, and on the very next ball he bowled an absolute stunner, completely tricking the dangerous Rinku Singh into a golden duck. That back to back damage, totally wrecked KKR’s rhythm , and left the home side reeling from a collapse they just could not bounce back from.

Missing Out on a Hat-Trick History

The Eden Gardens crowd, sort of, sat right on the edge of its seat as Kuldeep walked up on the verge of a historic IPL hat- trick. He bowled this almost flawless delivery, trying to beat the next batter , and he managed an edge that shot off and went straight to the wicketkeeper. Only thing is Abhishek Porel, misread it just a bit, and he spilled the catch behind the stumps, so the spinner didn’t get that fairytale moment.

Still, Kuldeep stayed calm, no big reaction, and he kept squeezing the KKR middle-order. In the end he had match winning numbers of 3 for 29 from his full set of four overs, which was exceptional. After that magical over spell, the rest of the Delhi bowling group, powered by Lungi Ngidi (3/27) and Mitchell Starc (2/26), took over and ended things quickly, knocking Kolkata over for 163 in 18.4 overs. That spin masterclass was basically the whole story, and Delhi Capitals wrapped up their IPL 2026 campaign with a win, landing the sixth place on the points table.

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Sachin Kumar is a skilled journalist with 5 years of experience in the media field, working across various digital news platforms. He mainly covers topics like gadgets, smartphones, and latest tech updates,...