DC will have to put back their last match's no-ball controversy behind them and KKR too will have to seek momentum after losing four successive matches, when they will play against each other on Thursday.
Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders are positioned at number seven and number eight on the points table, respectively.
Delhi suffered a 15-run loss against Rajasthan Royals in their last game. Head coach Ricky Ponting who was in quarantine is now back with the team and is confident about his players to play at their potential.
With the Delhi batting line-up comprising David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, and Powell, KKR’s varied attack has to be on guard to stop the rampage.
Warner, after striking three back-to-back fifties, faltered against the Royals and would need to play another impactful knock. Prithvi Shaw also needs to convert his starts into big scores.
Delhi’s latest option at number three, Sarfaraz Khan, also failed so far and it remains to be seen whether he is benched or not.
Pant will need to take greater responsibility along with the likes of all-rounders Lalit Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Axar Patel.
Add to it, Powell’s six-hitting prowess, Delhi has all the necessary firepower.
Delhi's bowling has fared well but will need to forget the hammering at the hands of Jos Buttler. Khaleel Ahmed has been taking wickets upfront and has been complemented by Mustafizur Rahman, who can also be effective at the death.
While Kuldeep Yadav has redeemed himself, the other spinners Axar and Lalit have also played their parts to perfection. The trio has combined 20 wickets and their 12 overs would be vital.
Meanwhile, KKR need to get their combination right and the batters, including skipper Iyer, will have to put up an improved show.
Shreyas failed in the last game and so did the opening pair of Sam Billings and Sunil Narine. If they continue with the same openers, the two would need to give an aggressive start.
For the likes of Shreyas, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer, it won’t be an easy task, especially against informed Delhi spinners. Pushing Venkatesh down in the middle order has also not worked yet.
Shreyas has said it was just a matter of time and once KKR get going, they will be unstoppable as a team.
KKR pacers Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee have been right on the money. The only weak link seems to be Varun Chakravarthy who is having an underwhelming season.
Teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, VarunChakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.
Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant, Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.
The match starts at 7.30 PM.
(Inputs from PTI)
