Allen's 47-ball century hurries Kolkata to 8-wicket win over Delhi in IPL

NEW DELHI (AP) — Finn Allen's 47-ball century against Delhi Capitals rushed Kolkata Knight Riders to their fourth straight win in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Allen finally struck form with an unbeaten 100 including 10 sixes and five boundaries, as Kolkata cruised to 147-2 in 14.2 overs for a thumping eight-wicket win.

Delhi struggled on a slow pitch and was restricted to 142-8 despite opening batters Pathum Nissanka (50) and Lokesh Rahul (23) providing a decent start of 49 in the first five overs.

Kolkata was up to seventh in the table, three points off the top four. Delhi was eighth and still mathematically in the playoffs race.

Allen accidentally ran out fellow opener and captain Ajinkya Rahane when his shot deflected off Mitchell Starc's hand onto Rahane's stumps. But Allen made up for it, and rewarded persistence after coming into the game with 110 runs from six games.

“I’ve been working on having more strings in my bow,” Allen said. “I've got a few starts, frustrating not to carry on. Nice to have some personal success. Sometimes being left out changes your perspective. Allows time for mental refresh. I was putting too much pressure on myself."

The New Zealander reached a half-century off 32 balls and the second fifty off just 15. His batting partner, million dollar signing Cameroon Green, was content to feed Allen the strike and watch the fireworks.

When Kolkata was on the brink of victory and Allen was on 94, Green teed up his teammate who smashed Mukesh Kumar with his 10th six to reach his hundred and clinch the win.

Green was unbeaten on 33 off 27 balls.

“I knew I'd be the most hated player in Kolkata if I didn't help him get the ton,” Green said.

Delhi was put in to bat, lost wickets in clusters, and slumped to 89-5 in the 11th over. That included the key dismissal of Nissanka, stumped after reaching 50.

Kolkata spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy frustrated Delhi by bowling a combined eight overs for just 45 runs.

“We were short on runs,” Delhi skipper Axar Patel said. “We lost five wickets in two-three overs and lost momentum.”

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Kolkata Knight Riders' Finn Allen plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Finn Allen celebrates his century during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' Vipraj Nigam reacts after getting hit for consecutive sixes during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Kartik Tyagi, left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' Tristan Stubbs is bowled out by Kolkata Knight Riders' Anukul Roy during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' Ashutosh Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Finn Allen plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (AP) — A California sheriff said Friday that evidence suggests human remains were present at a home connected to the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old college student who went missing in 1996.

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said they cannot say whether the remains are those of Smart or whether authorities will seek another warrant to start digging on Susan Flores' property. Her son, Paul Flores, was convicted in 2022 of killing Smart, whose body has never been found.

The search began Wednesday after authorities served a warrant Wednesday at the home in the central coast town of Arroyo Grande more than 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. Authorities have not specified what prompted the search, but scientists specializing in human decomposition and soil took samples from the ground.

“We believe that based on what we’re looking at evidence-wise -- scientific evidence -- that a human’s remains were there at one time -- or still there. We can’t call it Kristin, but there’s evidence to support human remains,” Parkinson said during a news conference.

Smart went missing from California Polytechnic State University in May 1996 after returning from an off-campus party. Prosecutors alleged she was killed during an attempted rape and that the last person she was seen with was Paul Flores, a fellow student. She was declared legally dead in 2002.

The decades-old case has captivated the public, fueled in part by a podcaster who helped investigators by bringing forward additional witnesses. Chris Lambert of the “Your Own Backyard” podcast first reported the search of the home.

Parkinson, the sheriff, said Friday he was not sure how long they would search the property, but that Susan Flores could not return until investigators felt they were finished.

“We are not leaving that house until we are sure that we have checked everything,” he said.

Attempts to reach Susan Flores for comment this week have not been successful. She has never faced criminal charges related to the case.

Parkinson said the property has changed over the years and investigators have to move items to deploy ground-penetrating radar, which can detect anomalies. He said they might need multiple search warrants to dig, including excavating cement.

Tim Nelligan, an expert in soil vapor testing, confirmed by phone Thursday that he was on the premises, gathering samples from the yards of Flores and a neighbor. He said his team has, in general, “come up with a methodology to assess soil vapor" and its relation to “human cadaver decomposition,” but that he could not discuss the current investigation.

Nelligan and other scientists poked instruments into the soil and pulled up long tubing. Soil vapor sampling, which is an evolving science, involves collecting underground gas samples to detect volatile organic compounds associated with human decomposition.

Lambert, the podcaster, said he did not know much about the search, but was optimistic investigators could locate Smart's body. He said past searches of Susan Flores' home have never been thorough.

“This property in particular has been overlooked for quite some time," he said Thursday in front of the house.

Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, were arrested in 2021.

Prosecutors alleged Smart’s remains were buried on Ruben Flores’ property and later moved. He was acquitted of accessory charges. That property is different from the one currently being searched.

Paul Flores was sentenced in March 2023 to prison, where he has been physically attacked at least twice. In 2024, a judge ruled that he must pay just over $350,000 to Smart's family for costs they incurred after her death.

The family has said it would forgo restitution if Flores would tell them where the woman's body was. Flores’ attorney, Harold Mesick, said in 2024 that the defense did not know where her remains are. Flores maintains his innocence.

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This story has been updated to correct a word in Parkinson's quote and the distance from Arroyo Grande to Los Angeles.

FILE - Paul Flores listens during his murder trial in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas, Calif., on July 18, 2022. (Daniel Dreifuss/Monterey County Weekly via AP, Pool, File)

This photo provided by San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office shows authorities conducting a search on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at a home in Arroyo Grande, Calif., connected to the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office via AP)

FILE - This undated photo released by the FBI shows Kristin Smart, the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo student who disappeared in 1996. (FBI via AP, File)

Scientists take samples from the soil Thursday, May 7, 2026, from the neighboring yard of a home in Arroyo Grande, Calif., connected to the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart as part of a sheriff's investigation. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) CORRECTION: Corrects from authorities to scientists

Scientists take samples from the soil Thursday, May 7, 2026, from the front yard of a home in Arroyo Grande, Calif., connected to the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart as part of a sheriff's investigation. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) CORRECTION: Corrects from authorities to scientists

Scientists take samples from the soil Thursday, May 7, 2026, from the neighboring yard of a home in Arroyo Grande, Calif., connected to the man convicted of killing Kristin Smart as part of a sheriff's investigation. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) CORRECTION: Corrects from authorities to scientists