David Warner hundred hands Delhi huge win

Delhi Daredevils 177 for 4 (Warner 107*, Collingwood 53) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 137 for 9 (Yadav 2-27, McDonald 2-37) by 40 runs

Wickets fell in each of the first three overs of Delhi Daredevils innings, but David Warner batted on some other island to score the second century of this year's IPL, his first in Twenty20s. On a track that assisted spinners, Delhi bowled smartly to never be threatened in the defence, winning comfortably and moving back to the top four.

Neither did the Kolkata Knight Riders attack elicit respect from Warner, nor did the situation result in apprehension: he just cleared the front leg and hit his way to 107 off 69. The support required amid early wickets came from half-centurion Paul Collingwood, whose innings came straight out of the Paul Collingwood school of batting - practically without a back lift. Out of their 128-run stand in 16.2 overs, Warner scored 74 off 54.

David Hussey, bowling so round-arm he looked like Lasith Malinga bowling off a two-step run-up, and Murali Kartik were Kolkata's best bowlers, going for just 50 in their eight overs. They lost Angelo Mathews, who had conceded 11 in two overs, when he had his upper lip opened up while pulling off a diving save at the long-on boundary. The other 10 overs, though, featured a lot of loose bowling, and duly went for 116 runs.

On a slow, turning pitch, Warner's technique was simple: clear the front leg, don't commit to any shot, and decide based on what kind of delivery it is. Throughout his innings, right from his first boundary slashed over point in the second over to his last six hit over long-off in the last over, he displayed this wonderful ability to hit to any part of the field from the same position. Between those two shots, he hit eight other fours and four other sixes. Anything full headed towards cow corner and midwicket, width had wide mid-off and point peppered. He also got a few generous long hops on the pads.