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Delhi Capitals (DC) will look to put the 'no-ball' controversy behind then and gain momentum against another side seeking correction in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when they face each other in their 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Mumbai on Thursday.
Delhi suffered a 15-run loss against Rajasthan Royals (RR), a game marred by a no-ball controversy over a high full toss that also resulted in a one-match ban for assistant coach Pravin Amre.
The Capitals are currently seventh on the points table with three wins in seven outings. Meanwhile, KKR are placed eighth having lost their last four games. The Delhi batting line-up of David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, and Rovman Powell will pose a threat to KKR’s varied bowling attack.
Warner, after striking three back-to-back fifties, faltered against the Royals and would need itching to play another impactful knock. The same goes for Shaw, who needs to convert his starts into big scores. And Delhi’s latest option at number three, Sarfaraz Khan, has also failed and it remains to be seen whether he is benched or not.
Skipper Pant will need to take greater responsibility along with the likes of all-rounders Lalit Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Axar Patel. Pant can single-handedly turn any game, but he hasn’t reached his potential this season. Playing on a track that has favoured batters, the skipper would look to come good.
Delhi's bowling has fared well but will need to forget the hammering at the hands of Jos Buttler. Khaleel Ahmed has been taking wickets upfront and has been complemented by Mustafizur Rahman, who can also be effective at the death.
While Kuldeep Yadav has redeemed himself, the other spinners Axar and Lalit have also played their parts to perfection. The trio has combined 20 wickets and their 12 overs would be vital.
On the other hand, KKR need to get their combinations right and the batters, including skipper Iyer, will have to put up an improved show.
Shreyas failed in the last game and so did the opening pair of Sam Billings and Sunil Narine. If they continue with the same openers, the two would need to give an aggressive start. For the likes of Shreyas, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer, it won’t be an easy task, especially against the in-form Delhi spinners. Pushing Venkatesh down in the middle order has also not worked yet.
Some good news for them is that their KKR pacers Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee have been right on the money. The only weak link seems to be Varun Chakravarthy who is having an underwhelming season.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad:
Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, VarunChakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.
Delhi Capitals Squad
Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti,Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.
