April 03 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Delhi Capitals’ rather easy win against the Chennai Super Kings has set up their next match against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday quite brilliantly. DC started off their season with back-to-back losses but they bounced back with a 20-run against the mighty CSK to get their campaign off the blocks. It was a much-needed win for the franchise. What’s more? Their captain Rishabh Pant scored a very good half-century.
KKR, therefore, can’t be called an overwhelming favourite. But the Capitals will have to put in another strong performance against KKR, whose batters pummelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers to notch their second win of the season on March 29.
For DC, the onus will be on Prithvi Shaw and veteran Australian David Warner to provide a solid start.
Meanwhile, Pant continues his inspirational journey. After two scratchy innings, the skipper gave a glimpse of his devastating best as he scored his maiden fifty (51 off 32 balls) of the season and seems to be slowly finding his groove.
The likes of South African Tristan Stubbs and Australian Mitchell Marsh, both capable of launching an assault on the opposition, need to be better towards the end as DC lack domestic power hitters.
While Stubbs showcased his prowess with the bat against Rajasthan Royals, a consistent show from him will do a world of good for DC.
On the other hand, Marsh is yet to produce a glimpse of his brute power with the willow which could prove to be DC’s lethal weapon.
South African Anrich Nortje is yet to find his rhythm as he returned to action after a long injury layoff. The Capitals’ Indian pace unit will thus have to punch above its weight against a formidable KKR side.
Khaleel Ahmed’s performance against CSK was commendable, yet his long-standing fielding troubles remain a concern. He struggles particularly with aerial catches, dropping more than he successfully takes. He dropped a catch of MS Dhoni against CSK.
Mukesh Kumar lacks pace while veteran Ishant Sharma is more than capable of asking pertinent questions.
KKR, on the other hand, have looked good this season, registering two wins from as many games. Opener Phil Salt, all-rounder Andre Rusell and Venkatesh Iyer have been in good nick in the first two games and would look to pose a challenge for the Delhi pacers.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer also got some runs under his belt in the win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Rookie pacer Harshit Rana has impressed so far, picking five wickets in two outings, but Mitchell Starc, their record buy, and Varun Chakravarthy have gone for runs aplenty.
KKR vs DC head-to-head record
KKR and DC have faced each other 32 times in the IPL and KKR have won 16 matches while DC have come out on top in 15 of those. One match has ended in a no result.
DC vs KKR most runs
Gautam Gambhir, the current KKR mentor is the highest scorer in DC vs KKR matches. Gambhir has 569 runs followed by current KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (552) and DC opener David Warner (456).
DC vs KKR most wickets
As far as wickets are concerned in DC vs KKR matches, Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine lead the way with 25 scalps each. Andre Russell is the next best with 14 wickets to his name.