Russell, the Hitter of the Match, smashed four fours and three sixes in his 14-ball 39 in an opening partnership of 58 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who made 23 as the Gladiators made 139-4 from their 10 overs.
However, it was David Wiese and Smith, who powered the team to their match-winning total after Dominic Drakes took three wickets in the sixth over to see the Gladiators slip from 74-1 to 77-4.
The pair plundered 62 runs from the final four overs.
Wiese hit two fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 15-ball innings of 31 while Player-of-the-Match Smith hit two fours and three sixes from the 11 balls for 30.
Drakes was the best of the bowlers for the Bulls with 3-15 from his two overs.
Chasing 140 for victory, Delhi Bulls started well scoring 36 mid-ways the third over when Chandrapaul Hemraj was out for 24 caught by Russell off the bowling of Smith, who conceded 21 runs from his two overs.
Hemraj had struck two fours and two sixes in the eight balls he faced.
Smith would later return the favour when he caught the dangerous Eoin Morgan off Russell’s bowling for 27 that came off just eight balls.
When Sherfane Rutherford was bowled by Tymal Mills for 21 in the eighth over Bulls were 95-4 needing 45 from 16 balls.
Russell would eventually remove Bravo for nine in the ninth over with the Bulls still needing 34 from the final over.
It would be too much of an ask for Romario Shepherd, who was unbeaten on 16 from eight balls and Drakes one from one as the Bulls innings closed at 122-5.
Russell completed a solid all-around performance returning figures of 2-27.
An opening partnership of 98 from Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal from just 8.3 overs gave the Royals a foundation to build from, eventually setting the Capitals a target of 200.
Three wickets each for Trent Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal then reduced Delhi as they could only muster 142-9 from their 20 overs.
Buttler and Jaiswal set the tone before the latter was caught and bowled by Mukesh Kumar for 60 from just 31 deliveries.
Delhi gave themselves hope of causing a batting collapse as Kuldeep Yadav removed captain Sanju Samson for a duck, before Rovman Powell bowled Riyan Parag for seven to reduce the Royals to 126-3 as the run rate began to slow down.
Buttler continued to keep the scoreboard ticking along with Shimron Hetmyer (39 not out), though, before also being caught and bowled by Mukesh.
Boult dismissed Prithvi Shaw and Manish Pandey for ducks as the Capitals slipped to 0-2 inside the first over of their reply.
After Rilee Rossouw was out for 14, David Warner and Lalit Yadav started to finally allow Delhi to get a foothold in their innings before the latter was bowled by Boult for 38.
Warner started to quickly run out of partners before finally succumbing himself for 65 as the Capitals struggled to ever threaten the target to give the Royals their second win to go top of the Indian Premier League, while Delhi suffered their third loss from three outings.
Buttler storms the Capitals
It was a mature knock from the England white-ball captain, who hit 11 fours and one six, though he did have a lucky moment when he was dropped on 18 by Anrich Nortje.
He briefly sat atop the IPL's list for most runs in the early stage of this year's competition (152), only for Warner (158) to overtake him in Delhi's reply.
Warner landmark no consolation for Delhi
The Australian is the third batsman to score 6,000 runs in IPL history and the fifth to score 2,000 runs for the Capitals in the competition, and is only the second to score 2,000+ runs for two teams (also Sunrisers Hyderabad) after Shikhar Dhawan for the same two teams.
However, the Capitals have won just one IPL game from the last 14 times they have chased a target of 200 or more, which was a seven-wicket win when chasing Gujarat Lions' score of 208 in May 2017.
Having lost their first five matches, Delhi got off the mark with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders last week, and they followed it up with a seven-run success over Sunrisers.
The Capitals, despite strong contributions from Manish Pandey (34) and Axar Patel (34) failed to set an imposing total. Washington Sundar (3-28) helping Sunrisers restrict them to 144-9.
Sunrisers looked poised to canter to 145 when Mayank Agarwal (49) guided them to 69-1. However, they subsequently lost four wickets for 16 runs, leaving Heinrich Klaasen (31) and Sundar (24 not out) to lead a recovery mission.
Though Klaasen fell with nine balls remaining, Sundar was in a position to get them over the line, Sunrisers needing 13 off the last.
But Mukesh Kumar did not allow a single boundary in the final six balls, frustrating Sunrisers with superb death blowing to seal triumph for Delhi.
Delhi celebrate new low
The Capitals' total of 144 is the lowest they have successfully defended in the IPL. Their previous best in that regard came back in 2009, when they prevailed against Rajasthan Royals when defending 150.
Bhuvneshwar brilliance not enough
Bhuvneshwar Kumar will feel aggrieved to be on the losing side. The Sunrisers seamer bowled 16 dot balls in his four overs, the most by any bowler this season. His 11 runs conceded also marked the lowest total by any bowler to complete his allocation of overs in the 2023 campaign.
Marcus Stoinis made 53 from 21 deliveries as Delhi recovered from a shocking start to post 157-8, though their fightback appeared in vain when their opponents matched their total with three balls to spare.
However, needing just one more run to prevail, Kings XI were somehow unable to get over the line, losing wickets off the final two deliveries.
Mayank Agarwal was the first of those to depart having made a superb 89, the opener rescuing his side after they had slipped to 55-5 in their reply.
He hit 10 runs off Stoinis' first three deliveries at the start of the 20th over, but the bowler hit back when a wide full toss was slapped to Shimron Hetmyer in the deep.
Chris Jordan then clipped a full toss straight to Kagiso Rabada at square leg to leave the scores level, meaning a super over was required to decide the outcome of a see-saw contest.
Kings XI managed two runs off the opening ball but Rabada then claimed a pair of wickets, leaving Delhi needing three. They easily reached the paltry target to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
STOINIS STUNS KINGS XI
Having come together at 13-3, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant made 39 and 31 respectively. Still, when both fell in successive balls, the Capitals were reeling at 87-5.
Stoinis, though, emphatically changed the tempo of the innings. Kings XI leaked 57 from the final three overs – including 30 off the last, bowled by Chris Jordan – as Delhi finished with a flourish.
PAINFUL OUTING FOR ASHWIN
Playing against his former franchise, Ravichandran Ashwin's involvement was cut short when he suffered an apparent shoulder injury.
The India spinner claimed two wickets in his opening over before getting hurt when diving to stop a ball, forcing him to leave the field with his left arm in a makeshift sling.
PAIR FOR POORAN
It is not often you get to bat twice in a Twenty20 game. However, Nicholas Pooran failed to capitalise on either opportunity he had for Kings XI.
The West Indies batsman was dismissed by Ashwin first time around and then, called into action again in the super over, was cleaned up first ball by Rabada.
Despite missing David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Anrich Nortje, the Capitals ultimately eased to victory, with Lalit Yadav (47 not out) and Axar Patel (38 not out) rescuing what had looked like a precarious situation.
An impressive 81 from 48 balls from Ishan Kishan helped the hosts on their way to 177-5 from their 20 overs, and they then reduced the Capitals to 104-6 from 13.2 overs, only for a partnership of 75 off the next five overs from Lalit and Axar to see the visitors home.
Kishan put on an opening stand of 67 with Indians captain Rohit Sharma (41) before the latter hit Kuldeep Yadav (3-18) to Rovman Powell.
Delhi appeared to be back in contention when the dangerous Kieron Pollard was caught brilliantly by Tim Seifert, the fielder taking a diving two-handed catch to his left to dismiss the Trinidadian for just three, but Tim David (12) played the support role for Kishan to do the damage, hitting 11 fours and two sixes.
Prithvi Shaw (38) and Seifert (21) made a promising start in reply before New Zealander Seifert was bowled by Murugan Ashwin, with Mandeep Singh following two balls later for a duck.
Capitals coach Ricky Ponting looked concerned on the sidelines when skipper Rishabh Pant hit a Tymal Mills delivery straight to David for just one, but Lalit and Axar eventually put on a show to see their team to victory.
Axar makes amends with the bat
Axar had not had the best of times with the ball in hand, going for 40 from his four overs without taking a wicket.
However, he more than made up for it with the bat as he smacked 38 from just 17 balls, including three sixes and the winning four to see his side to victory.
Sams has day to forget
Someone else who did not enjoy bowling was Daniel Sams, who went for 57 without taking a wicket from his four overs, including conceding nine boundaries (six fours, three sixes).
The game looked like it was drifting heavily towards Delhi's favour anyway, but that was confirmed when the Australian's final over went for 24.
The New Zealander took 4-28 from his four overs as the Titans kept their opponents well away from their set target of 172.
Their own innings did not get off to the best of starts, with Matthew Wade (1) out in the first over to Mustafizur Rahman as he tried to scoop the ball over his shoulder, but only edging through to Rishabh Pant.
Shubman Gill did lead the way with the bat, though, hitting 84 from 46 balls, accompanied by solid efforts from Hardik Pandya (31) and David Miller (20) as the Titans ended on 171-6 from their 20 overs.
After losing Tim Seifert (3) early on, the Capitals never really looked like reaching the target, with Pant (43) the only man to score more than 25, before he became another of Ferguson's victims.
Delhi suffered their first defeat of the season after only reaching 157-9 from their 20 overs, while Gujarat keep up their perfect start to life in the IPL.
Gill improves on previous outing
Shubman Gill will have been relieved to see his team-mates score the runs to seal the win in their opening game against the Lucknow Super Giants after he fell for a third-ball duck.
However, he more than made up for it here with a tremendous knock of 84, including six fours and four sixes to help his team post an ultimately winning total.
Fergie time for Lockie
Ferguson set the tone by taking the wicket of Prithvi Shaw (10) with his first ball, before also picking up the crucial scalps of Mandeep Singh (18), Pant and Axar Patel (8).
Much like Gill, it was a big improvement from his 0-24 in the Titans' first game against the Super Giants.
The Delhi Capitals, Pant's Indian Premier League franchise, confirmed he had been moved to a second hospital following the incident that occurred between the towns of Manglaur and Narsan.
Local police said Pant's car collided with a road divider and caught fire, with images of the wrecked vehicle widely shared on social media.
"Pant sustained injuries on his forehead, a hand and right knee," said Swapn Kishor Singh, superintendent of Haridwar rural police, according to the Times of India.
"However, he is conscious and able to talk. The car he was driving was completely burnt. He is lucky to survive the severe accident."
Dr Dishant Yagnik, medical superintendent of Max Hospital in Dehradun, addressed media outlets outside the facility as he allayed fears over Pant's condition.
"We are still examining him. He is stable at the moment, there doesn't appear to be cause for major worry. Once the evaluation is complete, we will put out a detailed bulletin," he said.
"He is conscious, and he is talking, and the doctors are examining wherever he is saying there is discomfort.
"Orthopaedics and plastic surgeons are looking at him right now. And we are examining for any internal injuries."
Jay Shah, general secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), provided an update on social media, adamant Pant will get the required assistance from the BCCI.
"My thoughts and prayers are with Rishabh Pant as he fights his way back to recovery," Shah wrote.
"I have spoken to his family and the doctors treating him. Rishabh is stable and undergoing scans. We are closely monitoring his progress and will provide him with all the necessary support."
Pant represented India as recently as Sunday, when his haul of 93 runs led them to a second-Test victory over Bangladesh, sealing a 2-0 series win.
After losing last time out to the previously winless Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore were in big trouble early in Saturday's game when they slipped to 92-5.
Maxwell was the only batter among the top five to make a substantial contribution, and when he fell for 55 in the 12th over it looked a tall order for the team to post a healthy total.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik had other ideas though, and together with Shahbaz Ahmed, who made 32 from 21 balls, he took on the Delhi attack with gusto.
Karthik bludgeoned 66 not out from 34 balls, with five fours and five sixes, taking 28 off the 18th over as Mustafizur Rahman came in for brutal treatment.
A total of 189-5 still looked on the low side as Delhi made a fast start to their reply, but losing David Warner for 66, lbw to Wanindu Hasaranga, heralded the start of a collapse from 94-1 to 115-5.
Rishabh Pant looked to have his eye in but fell to a sharp catch by Virat Kohli as the Capitals saw victory hopes ebb away at the Wankhede Stadium, stalling on 173-7 in the end.
Karthik overshadows Maxwell's milestone knock
It was going to take something special to top Maxwell's 34-ball effort, in what was the Australian's 100th IPL game, and Karthik duly came up with a spectacular innings.
The veteran is proving highly successful in the role of finisher, and because he has been dismissed just once in this year's IPL, his batting average stands at 197, the highest of all players.
Hurrah for Hazlewood
Hazlewood took 3-28 and removed Rovman Powell and Lalit Yadav in the same over as Delhi began to crumble.
This was just the Australia paceman's second game of the 2022 IPL campaign and it boded well for what he might offer for the rest of the campaign. For now, this win lifts Bangalore to third place with four wins from six matches, while Delhi sit eighth.
The Capitals were top of the IPL just a couple of weeks ago but have since capitulated and could yet slip out of the top four, with Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders hoping to capitalise and secure a spot in the next phase.
On Saturday the Capitals came undone in the face of another dominant bowling display by Mumbai, with Trent Boult (3-21) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) particularly impressive as Delhi were limited to just 110-9.
Shikhar Dhawan was the first to fall for the Capitals with Boult claiming his scalp from just the third delivery of the innings, meaning the opener has failed to reach double figures in three consecutive matches.
Prithvi Shaw (10) soon trudged off too, while Shreyas Iyer, top-scorer with 25, Marcus Stoinis (two) and Rishabh Pant (21) were sent packing in a nine-ball spell, and any hope of a late flurry was snuffed out as no one else managed more than 12 runs.
With such a small target, Mumbai's careful and conservative start to the chase looked smart.
De Kock eventually went for 26 in the 11th over, Anrich Nortje doing the damage, but it was hardly the beginning of a resurgence as Ishan Kishan (72 not out) continued to plug away, reaching 50 at the start of the 12th.
Nortje and Kagiso Rabada (27-0) – the latter wicketless for a second match on the bounce – had no answer to the 22-year-old, who took Mumbai over the line with an emphatic six to reach 111-1, wrapping up a one-sided victory.
KISHAN THE STAR
In the past week or so, Kishan seems to have begun to settle, with scores of 68 not out, 37, 25 and now 72no. His effort on Saturday was better than any of his past eight, and he recorded it against the experienced Nortje and Rabada.
With Kishan named man of the match, captain Kieron Pollard praised him afterwards, saying: "Each and every game Ishan is getting better and better. Long may it continue. He's been able to adapt to different scenarios. He didn't even start at the beginning, then he went number four. He's adapting."
ANOTHER DIFFICULT DAY FOR RABADA
Against Sunrisers Hyderabad last time out, Rabada's numbers of 0-54 were alarming, particularly given he had not gone wicketless in 25 IPL matches.
He is now without a wicket in successive matches as he failed to find a way past Kishan – though in the grand scheme of the match, it would have taken something remarkable from the Capitals' bowlers to make up for the poor first innings.
Marsh top-scored with 63 runs as the Capitals posted a target of 160, which the Kings never realistically looked like reaching, in part due to Shardul's outstanding four-wicket haul.
Things could not have started in worse fashion for the Capitals, with David Warner out first ball to Liam Livingstone (3-27).
However, Sarfaraz Khan (32) and Marsh steadied the ship with a partnership of 51, while Marsh and Lalit Yadav (24) added a further 47 to the total, with Arshdeep Singh (3-37) taking the wickets of both Khan and Yadav.
Livingstone then struck twice to remove Rishabh Pant (7) and Rovman Powell (2), before Kagiso Rabada finally claimed Marsh for 63 off 48 balls with 10 deliveries remaining.
Jonny Bairstow (28) and Shikhar Dhawan (19) made a good start to the reply with a partnership of 38 inside four overs before the England man fell to Anrich Nortje.
There soon followed a collapse for the Kings, who quickly went from 53-1 to 67-6 with only Jitesh Sharma showing any sign of sticking around.
He and Rahul Chahar (25) calmed things down to claim 41 from five overs before Jitesh fell for 44 from 34 balls, and although the Kings avoided losing all 10 wickets, Shardul (4-36) completed a strong bowling spell to comfortably close the game out for a 17-run victory, moving the Capitals to fourth in the table.
Shardul leads joint-bowling effort
While Shardul will get the headlines with his four wickets, there was some tremendous economic bowling on display elsewhere in the Capitals' attack.
Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav both posted figures of 2-14, with the former doing so from four overs at a rate of just 3.50, conceding just one boundary.
Kings suffer with the bat
Bairstow, Dhawan, Jitesh, and Chahar aside, the Kings really let themselves down with the bat.
Only one of the top five batsmen in the order hit a six (Bairstow), while no other batsman aside from the aforementioned quartet scored more than six overall.
The Rohit Sharma-led side have been in great form and enter the contest as strong favourites to overcome the Capitals, who are competing in their first final.
But if Mumbai are to become only the second side to win back-to-back crowns, after Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, they will need to end their even-number year jinx.
Their previous triumphs came in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, losing their only odd-number year final to the Super Kings in 2010.
Delhi may lack the pedigree of their opponents but confidence will be high in the camp after overcoming Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs on Sunday.
As the top two sides in the tournament pool stage prepare to go head-to-head at the Dubai International Stadium, we look at where the game could be won and lost.
DHAWAN CHASING DOWN RAHUL
Capitals' Shikhar Dhawan enters the final with 603 runs from 16 matches and needs 68 to overtake Kings XI Punjab's K. L. Rahul at the top of the charts.
Dhawan is averaging 46.38 and has two hundreds to his name in this season's IPL.
Mumbai have a couple of big hitters of their own in the top five, with Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock (both 483) behind only Rahul, Dhawan and David Warner (548).
Four Mumbai batsmen have hit at least 20 sixes in this year's IPL - Kishan (29), Hardik Pandya (25), Kieron Pollard (22) and De Kock (21).
No Capitals player has reached that mark yet - Marcus Stoinis being their most frequent boundary-clearer with 16.
BUMRAH LEADING THE WAY
While Dhawan - who also leads the way in terms of centuries (2) - is in strong contention to win the Orange Cap, Jasprit Bumrah is still eyeing the Purple Cap.
That is currently in Kagiso Rabada's possession, having taken 29 wickets in 16 matches, but Bumrah is just two behind with 27.
The Capitals' biggest wicket-taker, by comparison, is Anrich Nortje, who is down in seventh with 20 from his 15 outings.
In terms of all-rounders, Stoinis has scored 352 runs and taken 12 wickets, making him one of only 12 to have completed the 350-10 double in an IPL season.
MUMBAI'S PROVEN PEDIGREE
Perhaps more than any individual stats, though, is the fact that Mumbai Indians have been there and done it.
They are the most successful IPL franchise ever, reaching five of the 12 finals and winning four of those.
However, the sides' head-to-head record ahead of this season stood at 12 wins apiece, only for Mumbai to win three in a row.
Intriguingly, one finalist has had a 3-0 record against the other in the last three IPL seasons, and it did not stop the Mumbai Indians ending their losing streak against Rising Pune Supergiant on one of those occasions in 2017.
Local police said Pant's car collided with a road divider and then caught fire after the India wicketkeeper "dozed off" on January 30, near his hometown of Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
The 25-year-old was hospitalised with injuries to his head, back and legs, before he was later airlifted to Mumbai to undergo further surgery.
Swapn Kishore Singh, superintendent of Haridwar rural police, told the Times of India Pant was "lucky to survive" the crash, with pictures of the cricketer's wrecked car widely shared on social media.
Pant reported on Monday his surgery had been a success and showed gratitude for the well-wishes he had received, saying on Twitter: "I am humbled and grateful for all the support and good wishes.
"I am glad to let you know that my surgery was a success.
"The road to recovery has begun and I am ready for the challenges ahead.
"From the bottom of my heart, I also would like to thank all my fans, team-mates, doctors and the physios for your kind words and encouragement.
"[I am] looking forward to see you all on the field."
The Rohit Sharma-led side finished two points ahead of the Capitals to win the group phase and their superiority once again told at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
Shreyas Iyer (65 not out) and Rishabh Pant (56) helped Delhi finish with a respectable 156-7 after a poor start but their opponents had little trouble in chasing down that tally.
Rohit Sharma (68) reached another milestone as he moved past 4,000 runs for his franchise with a fine knock on his landmark 200th appearance in the competition.
A late fightback from the Capitals was not enough to stop Mumbai from becoming just the second side after Chennai Super Kings to win back-to-back IPL crowns, as they triumphed with eight balls to spare.
Delhi were competing in their maiden final and were in serious trouble after electing to bat first, losing their top three for just 22 runs.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has enjoyed an impressive tournament, scoring 352 runs and taking 12 wickets ahead of the final, but he was sent packing from the very first ball.
Trent Boult (3-30) removed Stoinis and then Ajinkya Rahane (2) soon after and Shikhar Dhawan (15) offered little respite as he was castled by off-spinner Jayant Yadav.
Captain Iyer and Pant helped steady the ship, however, putting together 96 runs for the fourth wicket.
The loss of Pant proved important as Mumbai seized the initiative, with Shimron Hetmyer (5) and Axar Patel (9) quickly following - the last five overs yielding only 38 runs
Quinton de Kock put 20 runs on the board for Mumbai before Stoinis, desperate to make amends for his disappointing batting display, got a wicket off his first ball.
But skipper Rohit kept the runs flowing, registering four maximums, while Suryakumar Yadav also contributed until he was run out for 19.
Rohit registered another half-century before a fine catch from Lalit Yadav ended his season, though it was too little too late for the Capitals.
Ishan Kishan (33 not out) moved his side closer to the 157-run target and it was left to Krunal Pandya to stab an Anrich Nortje yorker away for the trophy-clinching single.
After back-to-back defeats to start their campaign in the Twenty20 competition, it proved to be third time lucky for Sunrisers, who posted 162-4 after being put into bat.
Jonny Bairstow led the way with 53 from 48 deliveries, though it was Kane Williamson who made the most telling contribution. The New Zealand batsman was drafted into the XI and responded to the opportunity with a rapid 41.
His 26-ball knock included five boundaries as he capitalised on a solid opening stand worth 77 between Bairstow and David Warner, who made 45 in his 50th IPL game as captain.
Delhi saw several batsmen get starts without kicking on during their unsuccessful reply, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant struggling to break the shackles despite making 34 and 28 respectively.
Rashid Khan was at his miserly best for Hyderabad, claiming superb figures of 3-14, and while Shimron Hetmyer provided some much-needed impetus, hitting 21 from 12 thanks to a pair of sixes, Delhi finished up on 147-7.
KANE ABLE TO HELP
Respective strike rates of 136 and 110 for the usually fast-scoring Warner and Bairstow demonstrated how it was far from easy for batsmen to force the pace on a slow, low surface at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
However, Williamson showed it is not all about power in the shortest format. The right-hander was the only batsman to find any rhythm, cleverly hitting balls into gaps to add 52 with Bairstow for the third wicket.
RASHID SHUTS DOWN CAPITALS
The Afghanistan international's spell included 13 dot balls and he conceded just a solitary boundary, as well as claiming three crucial top-order wickets.
However, the leg-spinner may not have dismissed opener Dhawan had it not been for wicketkeeper Bairstow.
The England international was the only one to strongly appeal for a catch behind and while initially given not out on the field, the original decision had to be overturned following a review.
Warner issued a rallying cry to the Capitals' top order on Wednesday with the franchise in danger of missing out on a spot in the next round.
And it was as if he felt the need to lead by example as he produced a stellar showing, hitting 92 not out to break the record for most T20 half-centuries in history as the Capitals set a significant target of 207-3.
It was just as well Warner was so sharp as the Capitals endured a difficult start when fellow opener Mandeep Singh was removed for a duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-25) on the fifth ball – Mitchell Marsh (10) did not last much longer.
Captain Rishabh Pant proved a reasonable partner to Warner with 26 off 16 balls before falling to Shreyas Gopal (1-34), but that would prove to be the final Capitals wicket to tumble.
Rovman Powell (67 not out) and Warner put on a stand of 122 as the Capitals surpassed 200, with Umran Malik (0-52) and Kartik Tyagi (0-37) in particular toiled with the ball.
Sunrisers' chase did not start especially well as Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson put on just 11 between them – Rahul Tripathi at least managed double that figure, but they needed more.
Aiden Markram (42) and Nicholas Pooran (62) at least offered some resistance with their 60-run stand, but hope dissolved after the former skied a delivery from the excellent Khaleel Ahmed (3-30) into the hands of Kuldeep Yadav.
Although Pooran managed to reach his half-century, no one else added more than 10 as Sunrisers fell well short at 186-8.
Warner makes history
This was Warner's fourth half-century of the season and comfortably his biggest total (by 26 runs), but the focus was on his new record as he surpassed Chris Gayle (88) for the most 50s in T20 cricket.
After managing a disappointing three last time out, Warner's display here was a timely response against his former team. His haul came from just 58 balls and included 15 boundaries, three of which were maximums. Warner certainly did not do it all himself, as Powell's contribution was significant, but it was some showing.
All pace no precision?
Malik recorded the second-fastest ball in IPL history in the 20th over of the Capitals' innings, the delivery clocking 157 kilometres per hour. But, in general, he did not enjoy a great day.
The Capitals totalled 52 runs against him, more than any other bowler, and he did not claim a single wicket.
A knock of 42 from David Warner had helped to set the table for Powell, with the Capitals condemning the Knight Riders to their fifth straight loss in the Indian Premier League.
Kolkata mostly struggled with the bat themselves, with captain Shreyas Iyer the only man to show any resistance in the early stages with 42, while Nitish Rana added a much-needed 57 later on.
Apart from Rinku Singh's 23, no other Knight Rider managed double figures, and they were only able to reach 146-9 from their 20 overs.
Prithvi Shaw was out first ball for Delhi in reply, caught and bowled by Umesh Yadav (3-24), but Warner was able to guide his team through the early overs to build a base for the chase.
The Capitals did enter panic mode slightly as they went from 82-2 to 84-5, with skipper Rishabh Pant out for just two.
However, Powell and Axar Patel (24) calmed things down, with Powell the aggressor with one four and three sixes as he saw his team home with an over the spare.
Batting woes for Knight Riders
If you bat first in T20 cricket, you better set a big total, even if just to put an element of doubt in the chasing team's minds.
It's not that 146 is a poor total, but that almost all the runs came from just three batsmen was the real issue for Kolkata.
Six others came and went without making more than six runs, with Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Tim Southee all falling for ducks.
Tight bowling the difference
It would be harsh to dismiss those batting failures without crediting the bowling that caused them. Delhi's attack was fierce at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mustafizur Rahman (3-18) and Kuldeep Yadav (4-14) were particularly impressive, with the former bowling 14 dot balls in his four-over spell.
The Capitals had previously come out on the wrong side of all five of their matches, but an impressive display with the ball edged them to a nervy win to alleviate their early-season struggles, while Kolkata have now lost three on the bounce.
After a rain delay, David Warner won the toss and put the Knight Riders into bat, a decision that quickly paid dividends as his bowlers tore through Kolkata's top order to leave them three wickets down in the powerplay, though opener Jason Roy hung in to add 43 from 39 balls before he was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav.
Delhi's bowlers continued to dominate as the Knight Riders' innings crumbled, with Anrich Nortje (2-20) and Ishant Sharma (4-19) leading the charge as Kolkata were all out for just 127.
Warner reached his half-century off 33 balls to take Delhi to 93-4, before he was dismissed in a wicket maiden from Varun Chakravarthy in the 14th over, giving the Knight Riders some hope.
Those hopes were boosted as Delhi picked up just 23 for the loss of two wickets in the next five overs, but needing seven off the last, Axar Patel did just enough to get his team over the line.
Knight Riders' powerplay struggles continue
Kolkata lost three wickets within the first six overs to severely hamper their innings, and not for the first time, with the Knight Riders' 15 wickets lost in the powerplay in this season's IPL the highest of any team.
The target they set was just too small, despite a last-ditch effort from their bowlers, and Kolkata have work to do with the bat if they are to end this losing streak.
Warner plays a captain's innings
Warner's 57 runs off 41 balls means he is now the leading run scorer against Kolkata in IPL history, while he also moved to eight half-centuries against the Knight Riders, tied for the most alongside Suresh Raina.
The Australian went at a strike rate of 139 on his way to a fourth score of 50 or more in this year's IPL.
The Capitals made a strong start, reaching 148-1 within 13 overs after Prithvi Shaw and David Warner had caused some damage, with Rishabh Pant continuing the good work after Shaw fell for 51.
However, a minor batting collapse saw them slip to 166-5, with Warner eventually out for 61 after he could only find Ajinkya Rahane on the boundary off the bowling of Umesh Yadav (1-48).
Axar Patel (22 not out) and Shardul Thakur (29 not out) rescued the innings, though, smashing an additional 49 to set the Knight Riders an imposing total of 216 for victory.
Venkatesh Iyer looked to be setting the tone at the start of Kolkata's reply, hitting 18 from eight balls before falling to Khaleel Ahmed (3-25), who also took the wicket of Rahane (8) shortly after.
Shreyas Iyer (54) and Nitish Rana (30) tried to build a foundation for the chase, before both fell in the 12th and 13th overs.
Sam Billings could only manage 15 before hitting Ahmed to Lalit Yadav, before Kuldeep Yadav (4-35) took three wickets in his last four balls to extinguish any hope for the Knight Riders, who were eventually all out for 171.
Warner and Shardul lead the way
After making just four from 12 balls in his first game of the IPL season against the Lucknow Super Giants, Warner found his form here as he hit 61 from 45 balls, including six fours and two sixes.
Shardul also plundered an important 29 from 11, hitting Pat Cummins for six off the last ball, one of three maximums he managed in his short time at the crease, before also going on to take 2-30 with the ball.
Cummins struggles continue
It has not been the start to his IPL season that Cummins will have hoped for with the ball, having conceded 100 runs from eight overs so far.
The Australia Test captain took 2-49 last time out against Mumbai Indians, but only managed 0-51 from his four overs here, being hit for three sixes.
The Super Giants boasted the best performers with both bat and ball, as Mayers' 73 from 38 deliveries and Wood's 5-14 led them to a comfortable win on Saturday.
Lucknow's hopes were hit when key man and captain KL Rahul dismissed for 19 in the fourth over, and his replacement Mayers was hugely fortunate not to be sent packing on 14 when he was dropped by Khaleel Ahmed.
Mayers took advantage of that reprieve, plundering 59 more runs before finally succumbing to a peach of a delivery from Axar Patel that clipped the top of off stump.
Though that wicket slowed Lucknow's progress, they smashed 62 off the final four overs.
Delhi's chase got off to a fantastic start, racing to 33 for no loss off the first three overs, but a magnificent spell from Wood saw him dismiss Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh and Sarfaraz Khan to halt the Capitals' momentum.
Avesh Khan landed the hammer blow when he removed David Warner (56) with the Capital's captain caught by Krishnappa Gowtham.
Warner's men would tack on just 30 more runs, falling 50 short of the winning total as Wood sealed his five-for with the penultimate ball of the innings.
Mayers punishes Khaleel drop
The game could have been very different had Khaleel held on after Mayers tried to slog a slower ball from Chetan Sakariya.
Instead, the ball agonisingly hit the turf and Mayers went on to register two fours and seven maximums on his IPL debut, reaching his half-century after just 28 balls to truly exploit Khaleel's mistake.
Lightning quick pace from Wood halts Capitals' chase
A sublime couple of overs from Wood completely altered the momentum in Delhi's chase and put his team back in the ascendancy.
Wood's first game for Lucknow saw him earn player of the match honours.
