When the Delhi Capitals (DC) play the unpredictable defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday night, they will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
In addition to concentrating on their recuperation, DC has a lot to consider about enhancing their top-order returns and batting against spinners at home during their little respite. Even though Abishek Porel’s timing against RCB was at its peak, he was unable to turn it into a significant score. The fact that Karun Nair fell easily and Faf du Plessis was rusty after recovering from a groin injury didn’t help DC either.
DC has to adjust their strategy for dealing with spinners, even if they have benefited from batsmen stepping up on several occasions. The RCB spin combination of Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya, who bowled relentlessly from stump to stump line and left no breathing room, was too strong for DC to handle on a two-paced track. In their eight combined overs, they conceded just 50 runs.
Due to the two players gaining control of the field, KL Rahul was forced to play more conservatively since he wasn’t playing at his most aggressive level. With an average of 29.78, DC has lost 23 wickets against spinners in the competition so far, ranking equal second with RCB on a list headed by Chennai Super Kings (26). This information is based on statistics from Cricket-21.
Their run rate against spinners is 9.3, which is tied for second place with the Lucknow Super Giants, and their strike rate of 155 is the second-best after the Gujarat Titans, but they haven’t exactly converted those numbers into convincing victories at Kotla, where the pitches have returned to their pre-2024 form.
Since DC is favorably ahead of KKR in the playoff race, they must figure out how to overcome the disadvantage of batting against spinners and make sure that losing to MI and RCB spinners at Kotla is not an isolated incident.
In addition to having Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav at their most economical, DC should reconsider their bowling strategy. Slipper Axar, who was also out of choices since Mukesh Kumar was taken for runs on Sunday, didn’t make the best choice by handing Vipraj Nigam only one over and not bowling Mitchell Starc again after the 16th over ended.
However, having lost 21 wickets in eight games against spinners, KKR does not have the best record against them. Additionally, the average (21.31), run rate (8.3), and strike rate (139) are all poor. Time is running out for KKR, whose prospects of making the playoffs are hanging by a thread after two straight defeats and the cancellation of a home game against Punjab Kings due to rain.
KKR’s middle- and lower-order batting, which includes players like Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rinku Singh, hasn’t really inspired much confidence apart from Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
The team has suffered greatly as well since they have failed to generate a single opening stand of fifty runs. If KKR has found any comfort, it is in its bowlers; spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine have performed well, while pacers Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora have fared well.
The visitors will feel optimistic about getting their campaign back on track against DC, who are looking for a second victory at their original home venue, given that KKR has a 5-4 head-to-head record against DC in games played at Kotla and that its spinners Chakaravarthy and Narine have a chance to make merry in friendly conditions.
When: 7:30 p.m. IST on Tuesday, April 29
Where: New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium
Where to watch: JioHotstar’s live streaming and Star Sports Network’s live broadcast
Teams:
Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sameer Rizvi, T. Natarajan, Darshan Nalkande, Dushmantha Chameera, Donovan Ferreira, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Axar Patel (captain), Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc, Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Tristan Stubbs, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, and Vipraj Nigam.
Quinton de Kock (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, and Chetan Sakariya are the Kolkata Knight Riders.
