The last encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals earlier this year produced a thrilling tie as the match went to the Super Over before Kagiso Rabada sealed it in Delhi’s favour at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The fans will expect one such game when both side clash once again on April 12 (Friday) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Kolkata is currently at the second spot with eight points, Delhi finds themselves in the sixth spot with six points. They made a promising start but lost track and have been inconsistent as the tournament progressed. Also, they have been marred with injuries – all-rounder Harshal Patel and Rahul Tewatia will not be available for the rest of the season. In a bid to replace injured players, the Delhi Capitals held trials at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
However, they will have to bring the best out of themselves with whatever resources they have. The openers in Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan need to fire big time if Delhi hopes to come to the track. Rishabh Pant also has failed to contribute in the last few games and mainly it is their batting which needs to put a better effort to keep the winning run going.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders may have lost the clash against Chennai Super Kings; they will be pretty with their outing in the away games, Dinesh Karthik echoed the same and stated that it is not possible to win every time. However, they will look to return to winning ways in their third home match and complete revenge of the last defeat.
Date and Venue: April 12 (Friday) at 8:00 PM IST, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Predicted XI
Kolkata Knight Riders
| Players | Role |
| Chris Lynn | Batsman |
| Sunil Narine | Bowler |
| Robin Uthappa | Batsman |
| Nitish Rana | Batsman |
| Dinesh Karthik | Wicket-keeper/Batsman |
| Andre Russell | All-rounder |
| Shubman Gill | Batsman |
| Piyush Chawla | All-rounder |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
| Harry Gurney | Bowler |
| Prasidh Krishna | Bowler |
Delhi Capitals
| Players | Role |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Batsman |
| Prithvi Shaw | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| Rishabh Pant | Batsman/Wicket-keeper |
| Colin Ingram | Batsman |
| Chris Morris | All-rounder |
| Axar Patel | All-rounder |
| Amit Mishra | Bowler |
| Kagiso Rabada | Bowler |
| Ishant Sharma | Bowler |
| Sandeep Lamichhane | Bowler |
Head to Head
| Stats | Matches | KKR won | DC won | Tied/No Result |
| Overall | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0/0 |
| In IPL | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0/0 |
| At Eden Gardens (Kolkata) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0/0 |
| In the last 10 matches | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0/0 |
| In IPL 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 |
Statistical Highlights:
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Sunil Narine (49 wickets) needs to take one more wicket to complete his 50 T20 wickets at Eden Gardens (Kolkata). He will be the first bowler to take 50 T20 wickets at this venue.
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Chris Lynn (999 runs) is one run away to complete his 1,000 T20 runs for KKR. He will be the third overseas batsman and ninth overall batsman to score 1,000 or more T20 runs for this franchise.
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Chris Lynn (47 sixes) needs to hit three more sixes to complete his 50 IPL sixes for KKR. He will be the fourth cricketer to hit 50 or more IPL sixes for KKR.
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Pacer Andre Russell (48 wickets) needs to take two more wickets to complete his 50 IPL wickets for KKR. After Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla, Andre Russell will be the third bowler to claim 50 or more IPL wickets for KKR.
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Shreyas Iyer (1,433 runs) and Rishabh Pant (1,424 runs) are chasing to surpass David Warner, the present second most T20 run-scorer for the Delhi franchise. The former Delhi Daredevils (the previous name of Delhi Capitals) cricketer scored 1,456 T20 runs for this side.
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Colin Ingram(5,987runs) is 13 runs away to complete his 6,000 T20 runs.
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The left-arm pacer Trent Boult(99 wickets) needs to take one more wicket to complete his 100 T20 wickets.
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Leg-spinner Amit Mishra(149 wickets) is one wicket away to complete his 150 IPL wickets. Only Lasith Malinga has picked up 150+ IPL wickets till the date.
Pitch Conditions
Eden Gardens, in recent times, have produced sporting wickets where the fans have witnessed a good competition between bat and ball. However, in this season, the batsmen have made the merry of it and is likely to be the same with little assistance for the bowlers with the new ball.
Weather Conditions
It will be hot in Kolkata, but the temperatures will fall down significantly as the game progresses. The humidity level will be a lot higher thus making it tough for the cricketers from both sides.
Meanwhile, there are massive chances of heavy rain as the clock leads to the game. But it will stop two hours prior to the scheduled start. This will certainly have a say on how the game progress. With rain and dew, it will be tough for the bowlers and team winning the toss will like to bat first.
Match Predictions
The last encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals in this season wet to the super overs. Kagiso Rabada kept his composure to hand a victory to the home side. Thus, this encounter will also present some spectacle with both teams having some quality players in their ranks.
However, in the last ten games, Kolkata Knight Riders have emerged victorious in seven matches. Astonishingly, the Delhi franchise has managed only one victory against KKR at Eden Gardens (Kolkata). They clinched that rare victory on 5th April 2012 when they beat the Kolkata franchise by eight wickets (with five balls remaining).
Going by statistics and Kolkata’s understanding of the wicket at Eden Gardens, they hold a clear advantage over Delhi Capitals during Friday’s encounter.