Mitch Starc is all smiles after having Kolkata Knight Riders' Rovman Powell dismissed lbw. -AP
Mitch Starc has picked up three wickets and a fine catch but also suffered a first-ball duck in a mixed performance in Delhi Capitals' 14-run Indian Premier League defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Opening the bowling Starc conceded 35 off three overs. He did have Rahmanullah Gurbaz (26) caught behind, but only after the Afghanistan batter had hit him for a six and four fours in ten balls.Â
He was also tasked with the final over, coming back well after Dre Russell had hit his first ball for six, to take two wickets in two balls and force a run-out off the third in an over that went for just eight.
But KKR's 9-204, based on 44 from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and 36 from Rinku Singh - well caught on the boundary by Starc - was too much for Delhi.
Faf du Plessis top-scored with 62 off 45 balls and had taken Delhi to 3-136 in a 76-run partnership with Axar Patel, who made a quickfire 43 off 23 balls despite a hand injury.
But Sunil Narine took the wickets of Patel and Tristan Stubbs (1) in one over and then du Plessis was caught at deep mid-wicket leaving Delhi 6-146 in the 16th over. The West Indian, who made 27 with the bat, also ran out KL Rahul (seven).
Delhi remain fourth with 12 points while Kolkata kept their hopes of a place in the play-offs alive with nine points after 10 league games.
Starc was left with the consolation of a sapling from a sponsor as the reward for bowling 12 dot balls, the most in the match.
