Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Delhi Capitals in the match 26 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Kolkata on Friday. The game is an important one for the visitors as they are placed on the sixth position with six points in six games and a handsome win will take them as high as second on the league table. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the competition, it was Delhi who came out on top in the Super Over, courtesy sublime bowling performance from South Africa's Kagiso Rabada.
In the batting department, Delhi will be relying on the likes of captain Shreyas Iyer, veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Colin Ingram to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada and spin-duo of Axar Patel and Sandeep Lamichhane to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, the home side are sitting pretty on second spot on the league table and a win can strengthen their position. In the batting department, Kolkata will be relying on the likes of Australia's Chris Lynn, veteran right-handed batsman Robin Uthappa, captain Dinesh Karthik and explosive West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the spin duo of Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav to provide timely breakthroughs.
Pitch Conditions: Pitch at the Eden
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Delhi Capitals in the match 26 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Kolkata on Friday. The game is an important one for the visitors as they are placed on the sixth position with six points in six games and a handsome win will take them as high as second on the league table. In the previous meeting between both teams earlier in the competition, it was Delhi who came out on top in the Super Over, courtesy sublime bowling performance from South Africa's Kagiso Rabada.
In the batting department, Delhi will be relying on the likes of captain Shreyas Iyer, veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Colin Ingram to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada and spin-duo of Axar Patel and Sandeep Lamichhane to produce timely breakthroughs.
On the other hand, the home side are sitting pretty on second spot on the league table and a win can strengthen their position. In the batting department, Kolkata will be relying on the likes of Australia's Chris Lynn, veteran right-handed batsman Robin Uthappa, captain Dinesh Karthik and explosive West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the spin duo of Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav to provide timely breakthroughs.
Pitch Conditions: Pitch at the Eden Gardens is usually a good one for batting, where spinners will get more purchase compared to other venues in the country.
Player Recommendations:
Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper)
Delhi Capitals' Rishabh Pant is having a more than decent tournament with the bat in hand as he has already scored 176 runs at an average of 35.20. That's not all, as Pant has also held nine catches and completed three stumpings. Those numbers shows the value of Pant for Delhi and the team management will be optimistic for another impressive show from the 21-year-old.
Shreyas Iyer (Batsman)
Delhi Capitals' Shreyas Iyer is having a great time with the bat in the tournament, where he has already scored 215 runs in six matches at an average of 35.83, which makes him the highest run-getter for the franchise. Therefore, Delhi management will be hoping the 24-year-old will continue to lead from the front and produce another heroic display on Friday.
Andre Russell (All-rounder)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s Andre Russell is proving to be a real match-winner for the franchise, especially with the bat in hand. The veteran all-rounder is the leading run-getter for KKR with 257 runs at an average of 128.50 and with an impressive strike-rate of 212.39. Those numbers prove that Russell has that X factor and therefore, Delhi will have to do something to stop him if they are to produce a positive result.
Kuldeep Yadav (Bowler)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s Kuldeep Yadav is a proven talent in the shortest format of the game. The left-arm wrist spinner is having a rather mediocre tournament according to his own standards where he has only managed to claim three wickets in six matches. However, Yadav has the ability to produce a match-winning performance, especially on tracks which are favourable for spinner. Therefore, Delhi will have to find a way to neutralise the 24-year-old if they are to produce a better show on Friday.
Uncapped player recommendation: Rahul Tewatia (Delhi Capitals)
Predicted Playing XI:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (captain & wicketkeeper), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Colin Ingram, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane
