Skipper Rishabh Pant will face a big test when Delhi Capitals lock horns with table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders, led by their former captain Shreyas Iyer, in a much-anticipated IPL 2022 clash at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
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Iyer, one of the architects of the Delhi franchise's resurgence in the IPL, having taken them to their maiden final in 2020, was replaced as skipper of the team last season after he missed the first half due to an injury.
The franchise didn't retain the 27-year-old, who was picked up by KKR at the auction. Under his captaincy, the Knight Riders are perched at the top of the league with six points from four outings, their only loss coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The Capitals on the other hand, after a winning start, have slumped to back-to-back defeats and are placed seventh. Both Pant and Iyer are touted as future India captain and it will be interesting to see how the two fare.
LIVE STREAMING - WHERE TO SEE LIVE
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals encounter can be seen live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD. Fans can also get the live streaming of KKR vs DC on Disney+ Hotstar from 3:30 PM IST on Sunday.
TEAM NEWS
Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR go into the match high on confidence, having defeated Mumbai Indians with Pat Cummins scoring a 15-ball 56. The former champions have looked like a cohesive unit capable of tackling all situations.
Umesh Yadav has been in imperious form, rolling out impressive performances in the powerplay, and alongside Australian Cummins, make for a formidable pace attack that can trouble Delhi's inexperienced batters. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine can also turn on the heat.
Venkatesh Iyer shone in the previous game with the bat but the seasoned Ajinkya Rahane is finding it tough and one will have to wait and see how long the team management persists with him. Skipper Iyer would also be on the lookout for a big score.
Delhi Capitals: Despite having some of the best match-winners on their side, Delhi Capitals have looked out of sorts in the three games they have played so far. The return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje, who had been nursing an injury, has bolstered the bowling unit. Despite having plenty of options, the bowling department has not looked potent, leaking runs against Gujarat Titans and LSG.
Mustafizur Rahman has been their top performer but others need to complement him better. Their batting unit has also looked out of sorts, with skipper Pant again expected to do the bulk of the work with the willow.
The Capitals will be counting on Prithvi Shaw, who smashed 61 off 34 against LSG, and seasoned opener David Warner, to provide a solid start as their middle order is yet to inspire confidence.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Kolkata Knight Riders enjoy a 16-11 head-to-head record against Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Only one game ended in a tie. In IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals defeated KKR in the India leg before the two-time champions got better of their opponents twice in the UAE leg including the one in the knockouts.
STATS
Shreyas Iyer who scored 4478 runs at an average of 33.17 in 164 innings of 168 matches, needs 22 more runs to become 14th Indian and 90th batter overall to complete 4500 runs in T20 cricket.
Prithvi Shaw who smashed 49 sixes in 56 innings of as many matches, needs just one maximum to become the fifth batter from Delhi Capitals to complete a half-century of sixes in IPL.
VENUE AND PITCH
The KKR vs DC match will be played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from 3:30 PM IST. So far, the venue has hosted four games in the ongoing IPL 2022 with the team batting second winning thrice. The Brabourne pitch has worked for the batters and is expected to be a high-scoring encounter once again.
LIKELY PLAYING XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Sam Billings (wk), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam, Varun Chakravarthy.
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Anrich Nortje.
With PTI Inputs
