DC Vs KKR Qualifier 2 Preview
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the second qualifier here on Wednesday.
Delhi Capitals failed in their first big test when they lost to Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier and another defeat will mean there will be no more examination for the strong squad, led by India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Two-time winners KKR will no doubt take confidence from their victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Monday's eliminator that dashed Virat Kohli's hopes of winning an IPL title with his longstanding franchise.
If the emphasis is on momentum and peaking at the right time then KKR will definitely fancy their chances in their next outing, notwithstanding their opponents' resources and depth in lineup. DC, who topped the league stage with as many as 10 wins for a total of 20 points, are well aware of the task that awaits them.
Since Australian great Ricky Ponting took over as their coach, Delhi Capitals have grown from strength to strength as they finished second runners up in the 2019 edition before reaching the summit clash last year.
This year there aim is to do one better and win the title. They are one of the most balanced sides in the tournament with a formidable batting line-up and a potent pace attack that is aided by seasoned spinners including Ravichandran Ashwin.
In Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer, Delhi boast of a solid top order. Pant, along with Shimron Hetmyer, look after the middle order, even as they missed the injured Marcus Stoinis' prowess. Dhawan (618) was the second highest run-scorer in 2020 and has already raked up 551 this season.
His opening partner Shaw is also coming off a good game against CSK. On the bowling front, the South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (2020 purple cap winner) and Anrich Nortje has proved to a dream pair, having scalped 52 wickets together in 2020.
Then there is speedster Avesh Khan, who has taken 23 wickets so far in this season of the tournament, and he will back himself to add to his tally against KKR. DC have posted five wins in the UAE leg of the tournament but one of their defeats here has come against KKR, and what better opportunity for them to exact revenge than in the IPL playoffs.
It is easier said than done though, with Eoin Morgan's side enjoying a massive reversal of fortunes in the Gulf after enduring a disastrous first half in India earlier this year. They just about managed to sneak into the playoffs at the expense of five-time defending champions Mumbai Indians, thanks to their better net run-rate.
Things changed for the better after the Kolkata-based side landed in the UAE and if their performance against RCB is any indication, KKR is raring to go and will want to do more than just end their campaign in the playoffs.
On a pitch offering turn, KKR's spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy (16 wickets so far) and Sunil Narine, who is on a high after his superb all-round performance against RCB, will look to test the formidable Delhi batting lineup. Batting hasn't been KKR's biggest strength this season and DC will look to capitalise on that.
Up against a potent bowling attack, the likes of Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi (team's top-scorer this season with 393 runs so far) and Morgan himself will need to rise to the occasion if KKR is to make the final, where Mahendra Singh Dhoni's three-time winners Chennai Super Kings await.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Delhi Capitals:
Prithvi Shaw, who is coming off a fine 60 against CSK, smashed a 52-ball 84 vs KKR earlier this season. The right-hander has the potential to take the game away from KKR, which could be crucial given the slow Sharjah track.
Shaw has an outstanding record vs KKR. He has smashed 323 runs in five matches at an average of 64.60 and strike rate of 171.81. Key player.
Shikhar Dhawan :- DC will also want Shikhar Dhawan to hit his best form. The experienced left-hander has made starts in recent matches but has not scored the big runs expected of him. He scored 46 (47) and 24 (20) vs KKR in the league stage, part of 758 career runs against them at an average of 29.15 and strike rate of 115.
Shreyas Iyer has the most runs of any current DC player against KKR. The right-hander has scored 426 runs in 13 matches against them at an average of 38.73 and strike rate of 154.35. He was bowled by Sunil Narine on this ground for 1 earlier in the season.
Rishabh Pant will be crucial to his team’s hopes. The skipper is coming off a 35-ball 51* vs CSK, part of a string of scores in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 (35*, 24, 39, 26, 15, 10, 51*).
Pant has a modest average of 24 vs KKR in 11 matches, with a strike rate of 140.31. He scored a 36-ball 39 against them on this ground earlier this season.
Avesh Khan want to bounce back after a bit of a disappointing outing vs CSK? He was superb against KKR at Sharjah a couple of weeks ago, taking 3/13.
Anrich Nortje has been in fine form in the UAE leg, taking at least one wicket in each of his seven matches (2/12, 2/18, 1/15, 1/19, 1/37, 2/24, 1/31).
Probable XI
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Curran/Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine is in some remarkable form. He was player of the match at Sharjah vs DC earlier this season (2/18 and 21 off 10 balls), and then again in an unbelievable all-round display vs RCB (4/21 and 26 off 15 balls).
Narine has the most wickets of any bowler in KKR-DC matches, with 22 in 18 games at an average of 20.73 and economy rate of 6.81.
Shubman Gill :- Three games ago, Shubman Gill had an average of just 19 in IPL 2021. He has scored 57, 56 and 29 since. The classy right-hander is in some decent touch, and this is the time to take advantage.
Gill scored 30 (33) and 43 (38) vs DC this season. Also, Gill has a solid record at Sharjah, with 234 runs in six matches at an average/strike rate of 39/125.13.
Venkatesh Iyer has struck 67, 8, 38 and 26 in his last four matches. He scored a 15-ball 14 against DC earlier this season. If he makes a start today, can he build on it?
Nitish Rana is also in some fine touch, which includes a crucial 27-ball 36* against DC earlier in IPL 2021. He has struck a double-figure score in each of his last six matches (37*, 36*, 31, 25, 12, 23).
L Ferguson :- How good has Lockie Ferguson been? The pace bowler has been in the wickets in every game he has played in the UAE leg (12 scalps in six matches), including 2/10 vs DC at Sharjah.
Varun Chakravarthy has taken six wickets in four matches vs DC at an average of 21. However, while he has been economical, Sharjah isn’t a big wicket-taking ground for Varun (24 overs, three wickets, avg. 55.33, SR 48.00).
Probable XI
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy
Stats and Facts
Head-to-head: Matches 29, DC 13, KKR 15, N/R 1.
Both DC and KKR won a game each against each other in IPL 2021. The last meeting saw KKR (130/7) chase down DC’s 127/9 at Sharjah.
Expect KKR to send Sunil Narine up the order. He has a strike rate of 287.5 against Ashwin and 187.5 against Axar in T20 cricket, without getting out to either bowler across 29 deliveries.
Kagiso Rabada is wicketless in his last four matches and is conceding 10.84 per over in the death overs this season. Anrich Nortje, on the other hand, is conceding just 6.81 per over at this stage.
Ashwin has the worst average and strike rate among bowlers who have bowled at least 40 overs in IPL 2021 (avg. 60.80, SR 49.0).
Rishabh Pant in IPL playoff matches: 199 runs in six innings, at an average of 49.75 and a strike rate of 151.91.
Pitch Report
Slow and sluggish is the narrative at Sharjah this season. The fact that all teams who scored more in the powerplay went on to win their matches at Sharjah suggests the scoring gets really tough once the ball gets older.The average first innings score on this ground this season is 137, with the chasing team winning five of the eight matches. Any score in the region of 150-160 should be a tough chase
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