Finn Allen smashed an unbeaten 47-ball century laced with five fours and ten sixes to steer Kolkata Knight Riders to an eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, earning the Player of the Match award. The KKR chase of 143 was completed with 35 balls to spare, extending the three-time champions' winning streak to four consecutive games.

Allen's match-winning partnership

Allen was ably supported by Cameron Green, who scored 33 not out off 27 balls, as the duo forged an unbroken 116-run stand off just 64 balls for the third wicket. The aggressive partnership dismantled Delhi's bowling attack after early KKR wickets fell.

Allen on his approach and growth

"What I've been working on is trying to have more strings to my bow," Allen said post-match. "We obviously lost a couple of early wickets, so I just tried to have a bit of responsibility and get a win on the board for the boys." He credited KKR's coaching staff — head coach Abhishek Nayar and assistant Shane Watson — for helping him refine his batting model, particularly his approach to six-hitting and pacing innings.

The New Zealand batter acknowledged that early resistance from Delhi's Axar Patel, who bowled restrictively, forced him to "knuckle down" before accelerating. "I think when the situation comes to it, you just forget about my batting and play the situation," Allen explained, adding that targeting 40 balls at the crease was his mental anchor for taking games deep.

Mental reset after benching

Allen revealed that a brief spell out of the side earlier in the tournament proved beneficial. "You go out of the team, have a bit of time for a mental refresh," he said. "To be honest, I was just putting too much pressure on myself at the start. So it was nice to have that, sit back, refresh, and come back in." The reset appears to have paid dividends, allowing him to approach the match with renewed clarity.

Green's supporting role

Green, reflecting on his role in the partnership, said he was "chuffed" for Allen to reach his hundred. "I think you only get the chance to be at the other end a handful of times in your career, so that's one of them," Green noted. He added with humour that once KKR needed 29 runs, he "did the math" to ensure Allen would get the strike needed to complete his century.

KKR's bowling strength

Green highlighted the team's spin bowling prowess, singling out Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy for their consistency throughout the tournament, with Anukul Roy also chipping in effectively. He stressed that KKR's focus remains on winning each game rather than looking ahead to playoff qualification. "Winning, that's been the most satisfying," Green said. "We still have to win every game from here."