Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) breathed life into their dwindling playoff aspirations with a nervy 14-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in a high-scoring contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital on Monday night.

After posting a formidable 204, KKR’s bowlers—led by the ever-enigmatic Sunil Narine—held their nerve as DC faltered to finish at 190 for 9.

The win, while keeping KKR rooted at seventh with nine points, opens up a narrow pathway to the top four should they win their remaining four matches.

Delhi, meanwhile, cling to fourth place—but their margin for error has narrowed significantly.

The night, however, belonged to Narine. The veteran off-spinner produced a decisive four-over spell, claiming 3 wickets for 29 runs and effecting a sharp run-out that turned the tide. His scalps included two of Delhi’s key men—Faf du Plessis and Axar Patel—just when the Capitals looked poised to overhaul the target.

Chasing 204, DC suffered an early jolt when Anukul Roy removed Abhishek Porel. Karun Nair and KL Rahul didn’t last long either, but it was the du Plessis-Axar Patel stand that gave the hosts real hope.

The pair stitched together a 76-run partnership off just 44 balls for the fourth wicket. Axar, in particular, was brutal, smashing 43 off just 23 deliveries, including four boundaries and three towering sixes.

Just as DC seemed to be cruising, Narine entered the fray. Bowling from around the wicket, he foxed Axar with a delivery that kept low and turned like a fast off-cutter, caught smartly by Nitish Rana at extra cover. The mood shifted instantly.

Faf, who looked in imperious touch with a fluent 62 off 45 balls, was Narine’s next victim—a mistimed heave off a widish carrom ball that landed safely in Rinku Singh’s hands at mid-wicket.

Narine also cleaned up Tristan Stubbs with a quicker one, in between producing a direct-hit run-out to dismiss KL Rahul.

While Narine did the heavy lifting, Varun Chakravarthy provided the finishing touches. He struck twice in his final over, removing Asutosh and Mitchell Starc off successive deliveries to leave Delhi gasping at 160 for 7.

Andre Russell sealed the game by dismissing the hard-hitting Vipraj Singh, ensuring DC’s chase never reached full throttle.

Earlier, KKR got off to a flying start courtesy of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narine. The Afghan opener blazed away to 26 off just 14 balls, dispatching five boundaries and a six, before being undone by a sharp cutter from Starc.

Narine followed soon after for 27, bowled by a low, skidding delivery from Vipraj.

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, continuing his run of unfulfilled promise this season, scored a brisk 26 before falling LBW to Axar. Venkatesh Iyer’s woeful form persisted with a scratchy 7.

The innings regained momentum through 20-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who stood tall amidst the middle-order flux. Calm under pressure, Angkrish stitched together a classy 44 off 32 balls, marked by effortless strokes and calculated aggression.

His knock, combined with Rinku Singh’s 36 off 25, pushed KKR to 174 with 15 balls to spare and the promise of a 220-plus total.

But a familiar KKR collapse ensued—losing Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, and Russell in a cluster, all at

the score of 203. Ultimately, they finished at 204 for 9, scoring just 45 runs in the final five overs and nearly squandering their early advantage. Thankfully for Kolkata, Narine’s brilliance ensured the misfire did not cost them the match.