Sehwag failed to get going

Delhi Daredevils got off to a disastrous start against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match at Ferozeshah Kotla on Monday.

Virender Sehwag (8) hit successive boundaries off Chris Gayle in the first over, the first wide of extra cover and the second over cover.

But Gayle had his revenge in the final ball of the over, drawing Sehwag out of the crease and having him stumped by Wriddhimman Saha.

The former captain had played just three balls and his early dismissal put Delhi on the back foot.  

Gautam Gambhir (1) and Dinesh Karthik (0) also fell within the first three overs.

The Delhi captain, making a comeback from injury, was adjudged leg before off Charl Langeveldt.

Gambhir was visibly displeased with the umpire's decision.

Karthik dragged an Ishant Sharma delivery onto his stumps to leave Delhi tottering at 38 for three after three overs. 

David Warner cracked the second century of the third edition of the IPL to not only ensure Delhi's resurgence but also assure them a formidable total.

Undaunted by wickets falling at the other end, the Australian began his assault by smashing two consecutive fours and a six off Ishant Sharma in the third over.

So severe was his aggression that Ishant didn't return to bowl after his opening over had cost 17.

Warner picked up two more boundaries and a maximum off Langeveldt to bring up Delhi fifty in just 4.4 overs.

He reached his fifty, his third in the IPL, with a boundary off Murali Kartik in the eighth over.

The Australian smashed 17 runs off Ajit Agarkar's second over, including two boundaries and a six over long off.  

There was almost an anti-climax when the Australian was caught by Kartik off his own bowling when on 96, but replays suggested the ball had kissed the ground.

Warner had got the reprieve and he used the opportunity to complete a well-deserved hundred.

Paul Collingwood, coming after a triumphant England tour of Bangladesh and playing in his first match, proved to be a perfect foil for Warner's aggression.

The Englishman scored a cautious 45-ball 53 and gave the Delhi innings the solidity it needed.

However, towards the end of his innings, Collingwood did switch on to an aggressive mode, clobbering two sixes off Gayle (in the penultimate over) amongst others.

It took a stunning catch by David Hussey at the long-on boundary in the final over to dismiss the Englishman.  

The duo added 128 runs for the fourth wicket with Paul Collingwood to resurrect the Delhi innings from 38 from three to a formidable 177 for four.

It was the highest fourth wicket stand in IPL ever and paplpably the best for the team from Delhi beating the old record set by Tilleratne Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik.

Warner's masterclass 107, which came off just 69 balls, consisted of nine hits to the fence and four over it.

It was 10th IPL hundred overall, the secondnd in IPL III. 

Sourav Ganguly again displayed his inability to adapt to the shortest format of the game.

The Kolkata captain made just five off 10 balls before Dirk Nannes rattled his stumps.

Ganguly has managed to score a fifty just once in seven matches thus far.

Mandeep Singh (0) was stumped by Karthik off Amit Mishra and Manoj Tiwary, who did so well against Kings XI Punjab, was cleaned up by Andrew MacDonald for no score to reduce the visitors to 21 for three in the fifth over.

And when Chris Gayle (300, who had benn dropped on 24 by Virender Sehwag off Mishra, skied a Rajat Bhatia delivery to Mishra at deep midwicket, it was all over for Kolkata.

David Hussey (29) and Angelo Mathews (24) made decent contributions but it was never going to be enough.

Umesh Yadav picked up both the above batsmen to make the finish a formality.