Rahul 60, Kuldeep three for 29: Delhi close IPL 2026 league phase with a 40-run win at Eden Gardens
KL Rahul carved up Kolkata Knight Riders for a 30-ball 60 on Sunday night, and Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi each took three wickets as Delhi Capitals closed the IPL 2026 league stage with a 40-run win at Eden Gardens.
Ajinkya Rahane bowled first after winning the toss and Rahul made him pay early. The Delhi opener reached fifty off 25 balls with four sixes and five fours, racing to 60 at a strike rate of 200 before Rovman Powell held him at long-on in the 13th over. Axar Patel kept the engine running with 39 off 25, and David Miller cleared the rope for a 19-ball 28 as Delhi closed on 203 for 5, their highest total at this ground.
KKR fall short despite Rahane fifty
Rahane led from the front in reply with 63 off 39, but he became Kuldeep's third scalp when David Miller held the catch in the 13th over. Rovman Powell made 29 before he was run out and Manish Pandey added 25, yet the middle order kept disappearing in clusters. Ngidi knocked over Finn Allen for 20 and finished with three for 27. Kuldeep's three for 29 ended Kolkata's resistance and the home side were bowled out for 163 in 18.4 overs.
Where it leaves the table
Delhi sign off in sixth place with three back-to-back wins after a season that never quite found a gear. Kolkata’s elimination had been sealed earlier that day, so the result was always a consolation, but a 40-run scoreline at home will sting for a captain who batted as fluently as Rahane did. RCB, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals carry the four playoff seeds into the knockouts.
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