IPL 4: Match No.33, DD vs KKR, Impressive Irfan helps Delhi to restrict Kolkata to 148

Delhi Daredevils' all-pace attack handcuffed Kolkata Knight Riders' powerful batting unit to give themselves a great chance of climbing off the bottom of the points table. Irfan Pathan found that elusive and coveted inducker to shackle Kolkata at the start, Umesh Yadav bowled it fast and at the batsman's chest to snuff out two key batsmen in the middle overs, and even the much-ridiculed Ajit Agarkar kept it tight in the final over as Delhi were set a below-par target of 149.

If the usually incisive and economical Morne Morkel was Delhi's most expensive bowler, Kolkata's best performer was not one of their big-money imports, but their local boy, Manoj Tiwary, who made a combative half-century to stabilise the innings.

With the ball curving sharply in to the right-handers, Irfan was a handful at the start: Kallis nearly holed out to midwicket in the first over, was struck on the pads as he looked to on-drive in Irfan's next, before his legstump was knocked back after he shuffled across and looked to whip the ball flamboyantly.

Agarkar showed again how unpredictable he is. In the last match he played, his first four deliveries were smashed for fours; this time he started with a wicket first ball, dismissing Shreevats Goswami, and thus extending Kolkata's hunt for a reliable wicketkeeper-batsman.

Then it was the turn of James Hopes to prove he is one of the most under-rated players in the tournament. Cutting off the pace, his no-frills bowling proved hard to get away once more - the only boundary in his four-over spell was off his penultimate delivery. Plus, he had Gautam Gambhir holing out to deep midwicket, sending the Kotla crowd into a frenzy.

Tiwary was not at his most fluent, though he muscled the odd boundary to drive Kolkata ahead. The men Kolkata expected the big hits from - Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan - perished off successive deliveries from Umesh to leave the side at 105 for 5 in 15 overs. Though Tiwary stayed unbeaten, only three boundaries came off the final three overs and Delhi were given a smallish target.