Finn Allen Blazes Maiden IPL Century to Power KKR Past DC

Allen smashed his maiden IPL hundred, remaining unbeaten on 100 off just 47 deliveries, as KKR chased down 143 in only 14.2 overs to secure a commanding eight-wicket win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday. His innings, studded with five fours and ten sixes, helped KKR register their fourth consecutive victory of the season.

"For me, it was just I wanted to keep my intent. Obviously we lost a couple fortunate ones early. So I knew that I had to take a bit of responsibility and bat a bit deeper, So I think, yeah, it helped me get into better positions. And then I just wanted to keep my intent throughout the innings," He said in a video released by IPL on X.

The New Zealand batter also shared an unbroken 116-run stand with Cameron Green, who remained unbeaten on 33 off 27 balls.

Reflecting on the partnership, Allen said he initially focused on allowing Green to settle before expanding his own strokeplay.

"Oh, I just tried to get first time batting with Greeny. So, you know, I just tried to play good cricket shots, let him get set. And then we sort of said we'd push a bit more with our intent, and then I just sort of, I guess, started to look to put the bad ball away a bit more," he said.

KKR were briefly jolted early in the chase after losing Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, but Allen ensured there was no further damage by counterattacking aggressively against both pace and spin.

Allen particularly targeted Delhi's spinners in the middle overs, smashing Vipraj Nigam for three consecutive sixes and also taking on Kuldeep Yadav with fearless strokeplay.

"The new spin was going to be a bit challenging. They got really quality spinners. So I felt like if I had good intent to them, that it would get me in better positions to play the ball," he explained.

"And then, yeah, I just wanted to take it deep and put away the bad ball once Greeny got set."

Allen also credited KKR's support staff and captain Ajinkya Rahane for remaining calm despite the team enduring a poor start to the season with six consecutive defeats.

"I think credit goes to our support staff and Jinx. You know, they're really calm and composed. We obviously didn't get a win for our first six games. And it would be easy for everything to start going crazy," he said.

"But they stayed really calm and composed, which I think is a really good trait to have, especially as a support staff. So I think that really helped us. And it was infectious throughout the group," he added.

The opener also said that the squad always believed momentum would shift once they secured their first victory.

"We always backed ourselves. We knew we'd take one win and we'd get some momentum. And that's exactly what's happened. We're taking it one game at a time, which is great," Allen said.

"So I think, you know, it's a really good group to be a part of. I'm really enjoying my time," he concluded.

Meanwhile, after this win KKR are placed at seventh position in the points table with 9 points in 10 matches.

- IANS