Both these teams have done well so far in the tournament. Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders have won two out of the three they have played till now. In the 16th match of the season, both teams will be locking horns to see who tops the table. However, Delhi, on the back of a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad will be on the back foot. On the other hand, Kolkata will look to pounce on the chance and make it three out of three. 

Overall in IPL as well, Delhi have been on the back foot when facing Kolkata. In a 23 match face-off, Delhi have won 10 and Kolkata have won 13. In any case, Delhi are on a winning momentum against Kolkata in the recent past. In the last 5 matches, Delhi have won 3 on the trot, which might give them the edge.

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall: Matches – 23 | DC – 10 Wins | KKR – 13 Wins

Last 5 matches: DC – 3 Wins | KKR – 2 Wins

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from cricket.com Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we come up with six different teams that could fetch crucial points

GROUND DETAILS

Small boundaries and a flat wicket, an obsolete combination of a graveyard for bowlers. It has been the case at the Sharjah Cricket Ground in IPL 2020. In the 4 innings played at this venue, over 800 runs have been scored and over 60 sixes have been hit, which sums up the misery of the bowlers. On the other hand, for batsmen, it’s a feast. 

An average of 220 runs has been scored at this venue in the 1st innings and a target of 223 also has been chased here. On an average 31 sixes have come in a match in the two games played here.  It's not only this IPL, in T20s since 2019, on an average 15.5 sixes have been hit per match at this venue, which is the most among venues that have witnessed more than 10 matches during this time period.

TEAM COMBINATION

Both, Delhi and Kolkata have some brutal hitters who have the ability to clear the biggest of venues, let alone a small ground like Sharjah. Everything has gone south for the bowlers at this venue, pacers have bagged a higher percentage of wickets (63.1%) and have managed to strike early as well. But, the spinners have conceded at a lesser economy (10.6) than the pacers. Still, spinners in the team are not advisable because of the smaller dimensions.  

Packing the team with batsmen should be the safest option. The likes of Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer would be sold like hot cakes. Even the experience of Sunil Narine at this small venue could be a gamble considering a mistimed hit also going for sixes. 

Extra pace among bowlers is one of the things which could trouble the batsmen if they bowl the right line and length. The case of an edge flying over the ropes lies as a concern too. Still, the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Patrick Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi have a chance with their pace.

There could be a few interesting match-ups too.

PRITHVI SHAW vs KULDEEP YADAV

In the battle between two youngsters, the younger one has emerged on top. Prithvi Shaw is generally weak against wristspin, but, against Kuldeep Yadav he has rejoiced himself by scoring at a strike rate of 227.3. 

ANDRE RUSSELL vs KAGISO RABADA

This would definitely be one of the battle royales to watch out for. Two of the best finishers in the white-ball format will be going up against each other. However, Russell has been the clear winner in the battle between the two till now with a strike rate of 250 in three innings without being dismissed. 

DINESH KARTHIK vs KAGISO RABADA

Dinesh Karthik has certainly been among the finishers for Kolkata in IPL in the recent past. Unfortunately, his record against Delhi’s best finisher with the ball in hand is not great in T20s. In three innings, he has a strike rate of less than 100. 

SUGGESTED CAPTAIN

SHUBMAN GILL: Shubman Gill might not be a power hitter like the others, but his consistency is something that matters more. Since Shubman started to open the innings, he has been one of the most consistent openers. As an opener, Shubman has lost his wicket every 39.3 balls. Among openers who have faced over 250 balls, his balls/dismissal is the best. 

Among openers who have faced 250+ balls in IPL, Shubman’s average of 51.4 is the second-best after KL Rahul (52.0). Even with all the big hitters in the side, the consistency of Shubman is what makes him as our choice of captain.

Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Shubman could score 13-36 runs in Match-16 against Delhi

X-FACTOR

SHREYAS IYER: The Delhi skipper, Shreyas Iyer has got starts this season but hasn’t been able to convert those starts into a big one. Iyer would be hoping to do that against one of his favorite oppositions in IPL. Against Kolkata, Iyer has scored 290 runs in 10 innings at an average of 32.2. He has scored those runs at a strike rate of 148.7. In addition, apart from Russell, against other bowlers of the current Kolkata squad, Iyer’s record is exceptional. 

Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Iyer could score 12-29 runs in Match-16 against Kolkata.

KAGISO RABADA: How can one of the best bowlers of this season of IPL not be an X-factor. The raw pace of Rabada, is always a huge plus point on a surface where there is nothing for the bowlers. His major contribution has been during the last 5 overs. In IPL since 2018, Rabada has bagged 20 wickets during this phase, which is the second-highest after Jasprit Bumrah (30). What separates Rabada from Bumrah though is his ability to strike early in this phase. 

Rabada has picked up a wicket every 7.0 balls during the last 5 overs in IPL since 2018. Among bowlers who have bowed 20+ overs during this phase in this time, his balls/wicket ratio is the best. 

Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Rabada could pick 1-2 wickets in Match-16 against Kolkata.

ANDRE RUSSELL: In this season of IPL, Andre Russell is yet to come to the party. He showed a glimpse against Rajasthan Royals, but couldn’t carry that forward. Now that he is going up against Delhi, a team against which he has scored over 200 runs at a strike rate close to 200 and also the ground size, Russell will be aiming to gobble a few sixes. If he is able to bowl and pick up a few wickets, that’s a definite bonus for Kolkata as well as fantasy teams.

Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Russell could score 9-26 runs and pick 0-1 wicket in Match-16 against Delhi.