PREVIEW
Follow UsIt is the Gautam Gambhir derby. In the lack of any spice in this contest, we will term it this, given Gambhir’s involvement in both franchises. While he is a Delhiite by heart, he is nothing short of a cult figure at the Eden Gardens.
Kolkata’s resurgence has been outstanding, starting the season with two wins. Not just that, Gambhir’s return has also seen Sunil Narine bat with confidence at the top of the order, scoring a 22-ball 47 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. A lot of their previous year's issues are all seemingly solved.
On the other hand, Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals finally got their first win of the season. It isn’t just that they got two points but how they outperformed the then-table-toppers Chennai Super Kings. Add to that the return of Prithvi Shaw, Delhi do not look that bad.
After ending CSK’s winning streak, can Pant’s Capitals also end KKR’s streak?
DC vs KKR Head-to-Head
Overall - Games 32 | DC 16 | KKR 16
Since 2021 - Games 6 | DC 4 | KKR 2
Venue and Conditions
Delhi won the clash against Chennai the other night by batting first.
But historically, Visakhapatnam as a venue has favoured teams bowling first. 15 out of the 20 games have been won by teams bowling first (since 2019). At this venue, pacers are going to be more crucial to a team’s chances of winning, with 60.8% (135 wickets) taken by the pacers.
The average first-innings total at the venue was 155 (since 2019), but Delhi topped that comfortably, scoring 191. So, expect the match to be on similar lines as the DC-CSK encounter.
Weather Forecast
Excessive heat, what do you really expect in the Indian summer?
With a maximum of 33 degrees Celsius, the temperature is set to be high, with humidity of 72% in the day on Wednesday (April 3). Given that it is a night game, the wind is set to play a role in the clash.
Things to watch out for
Will conditions force Kolkata to break their spin trio?
In the only clash at this venue, Ravindra Jadeja, one of the best spinners at the IPL, conceded 43 runs. If that wasn’t enough, Axar Patel, too, didn’t have the best of nights, bowling just three overs. In all, it showed how spin was easier of the two suits to counter in Vishakapatnam.
That spells doom for Kolkata Knight Riders, whose bowling unit revolves around their spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Suyash Sharma. Would they then be tempted to bowl an extra pacer?
Kolkata have two strong options sitting on the bench - Chetan Sakariya and Vaibhav Arora - both capable of taking the fullest advantage of the conditions. Sakariya hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the last IPL, with just a Ranji Trophy appearance against Manipur, a game in which he picked up five wickets.
Or can they go out of the box by bringing Sakib Hussain, an unknown commodity, into action? The Bihar pacer has picked up four wickets in two T20s, including a four-for, and averages under 12. However, he hasn't added to the two T20s in his career since 2022. Either way, the conditions might force them to break their spin trio.
Khaleel holds the key for the Capitals
Against Chennai Super Kings, Khaleel Ahmed put on a display in the powerplay, where he removed their in-form openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra, in a spell that was nearly ‘unplayable’. His figures in the powerplay read 2/9, throwing CSK’s run chase out of the window.
Khaleel has been Delhi's key bowler for the longest time in the powerplay phase, where their pacers have picked up 22 wickets (since 2023). The left-arm pacer has had his say with consistent display. Up against him will be KKR openers, who have the second-best run rate in the powerplay this season (10.7).
With Nortje is still finding his feet in the competition, this battle between Khaleel and KKR openers could set a perfect platform for the clash.
Probable XIs
Delhi’s Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel (IP), Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav (IP)
Kolkata’s Probable XI: Philip Salt (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Ramandeep Singh (IP), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma (IP)
Telecast and Streaming Details
The match will be live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. The game will start at 7.30 PM, with the toss happening at 7:00 PM.
Play Asli Fantasy on Cricket.com. Download the App Now.
