Pathan smashed an unbeaten 42 from 20 balls to hand Delhi Daredevils a winning start in their opening match that ended well past midnight at the Eden Gardens here.
Chasing 98 from 12 overs, Delhi Daredevils coasted to an eight-wicket victory with five balls to spare.
"The wicket just got better. I've played at the Eden earlier and it's always on the slower side. Probably it (the wicket) got settled because of the rain. The ball came nicely to the bat," Irfan, who was adjudged the man of the match, told reporters in the post-match media interaction.
Irfan who hit Knight Riders pacer Marchant de Lange for two sixes said the South African's pace was just perfect on this wicket.
"It was coming nicely to bat. His pace, it seemed, was just right for batting on this pitch."
"Absolutely, it was a good toss to win. In shorter games you generally tend to panic. If you bat first you don't know what target to set. Morne changed the whole momentum for us," Irfan said giving credit to Morne Morkel who took three for 18. MORE PTI TAP PM