Shoaib Akhtar made an incredible comeback from off-field politics by taking 4-11 in three overs to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory over Delhi in the Indian Premier League.

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib had been unable to begin the IPL from the outset after he was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for five years for consistent flouting of their disciplinary code. However, a tribunal suspended that ban and allowed him a one-month window to complete the IPL before his next appeal on June 4.

Kolkata only managed to score 133-6 from their 20 overs at Eden Gardens but they defended the total by bowling out the DareDevils for 110 with 2.1 overs remaining.

Shoaib reduced Delhi to 28-4 after dismissing the first four batsmen, including India players Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir and South Africa star AB de Villiers. Seamer Laxmi Shukla finished off the job with 3-6 in five balls.

Shoaib, 32, whose spell was described by Sehwag as the best Twenty20 burst of bowling he has seen, expressed his gratitude to Kolkata afterwards for standing by him.

“I just wanted to win the game,” Shoaib said afterwards. “For me, my team is the most important thing. Kolkata is my home team. Eden Gardens is my home ground.

“Sharing the dressing room with Shah Rukh Khan and Sourav (Ganguly) was fantastic. They backed me. And I am really happy to perform. They put faith in me. And I am happy to deliver.”

Kolkata are now in fourth place in the eight-team standings, four points behind leaders Rajasthan after nine games each. Delhi are fifth with eight points.