CRICKET WORLD

David Warner helped the Delhi Daredevils to a comfortable 40-run Indian Premier League victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders with a sparkling century in Delhi.

Warner displayed a dazzling range of strokes as he smashed an unbeaten 107 off 69 deliveries and Paul Collingwood, playing his first game this season, hit the ground running with a nicely-paced 53 as the Daredevils reached 177 for four.

In reply, Chris Gayle (30), David Hussey (29) and Angelo Mathews (24) all got starts but failed to kick on as the Knight Riders were restricted to 137 for nine, their fourth defeat in seven matches.

Captain Gautam Gambhir, back from injury, decided to bat first, but that decision seemed to backfire as the Daredevils lost three of their top-order batsmen in quick time.

Gayle opened the bowling for the Knight Riders and secured an early breakthrough by luring Virender Sehwag out of his crease and having him stumped.

Gambhir was then trapped in front by Charl Langeveldt and Dinesh Karthik was bowled via an inside edge by Ishant Sharma as the Daredevils slipped to 38 for three in just under three overs.

Despite the fall of wickets, Warner kept the run rate up by blasting Langeveldt for a couple of boundaries and smashing Ishant for two boundaries and a six.

Collingwood, who had joined Warner at Karthik's fall, was off the mark with a single, smacking Gayle for a cracking boundary early in his stay and neatly rotating the strike thereafter.

He nicely stepped up the pace at the death, racing past the half-century mark by bludgeoning Gayle for a couple of sixes and added 128 for the fourth wicket with Warner before his dismissal in the final over.

Warner, who had walked off believing he was caught and bowled by Murali Kartik on 96, was recalled after the third umpire's intervention and reached his century off 66 deliveries, completing the Daredevils' recovery in excellent style.

The Knight Riders too suffered blows at the beginning of their reply as Sourav Ganguly, Mandeep Singh and Manoj Tiwary all departed in the space of 21 runs.

Gayle offered some hope, but he holed out in the deep at the start of the ninth over, while Hussey (29) and Mathews (24) kept the chase alive for a while, but all too briefly for the Knight Riders.

Collingwood finished off a good day with the wicket of Ajit Agarkar - caught and bowled - in his only over.