Big IPL defeat for Stubbs, but he shows some fight

Tristan Stubbs struck a fighting half-century as Delhi Capitals slumped to a 106-run defeat at Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL on Wednesday.

Chasing a mammoth 273 for victory, Delhi captain Rishabh Pant scored his second successive fifty on 55 off 25 balls and Stubbs made 54 off 32, but the rest of the batting fell short.

Earlier, Sunil Narine smashed 85 as the Knight Riders posted the second-highest ever IPL total of 272-7, just a week after Sunrisers Hyderabad posted the highest-ever innings total of 277-3.

Kolkata, IPL champions in 2012 and 2014, remain unbeaten in three matches this season after bowling out Delhi for 166 in 17.2 overs to top the 10-team table.

The venue was Delhi's adopted home due to the upcoming general election in India, but Narine and Kolkata made it their own.

The 35-year-old Narine tore apart the Delhi attack, hitting seven fours and seven sixes in a 39-ball blitz for his highest T20 score in his 501st match.

There was no respite for the bowlers as Narine's dismissal of Mitchell Marsh in the 13th over brought in Andre Russell for another punishing knock.

Russell smashed 41 off 19 balls and then Rinku Singh threatened to help KKR surpass Hyderabad's record total with an eight-ball 26.

Proteas quick Anrich Nortje (3-59) sent Rinku back at the end of the 19th over and Ishant bowled Russell with a toe-crunching yorker early in the 20th as Kolkata fell just short.

There were 18 sixes and 22 fours in all in the innings.

Delhi were never in the chase after losing four wickets in five overs, including Marsh for a duck to fellow Australian Mitchell Starc.

It was the first wicket of the season for left-arm quick Starc, who became the most expensive purchase in IPL history after Kolkata shelled out $2.98 million for him in the auction.

Starc was also bowled by David Warner for 18.

Pant and Stubbs put on 93 runs for the fifth wicket before both fell to spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who finished with three wickets in the match.

Vaibhav Arora, a medium-pacer and impact substitute, also took three wickets. Narine returned figures of 1-29 with his off-spin.