Today's IPL match will see Kolkata Knight Riders take on Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens. (Preview | Full Coverage)
Both these teams are coming from contests where match totals went above 500 runs. While DC won their high-scoring encounter against Mumbai Indians, KKR suffered a shocking loss when Punjab Kings chased the highest total in T20 history.
Bowling will once again be a worry for KKR but they will take confidence from their first showing against DC earlier this season when they scored 272 and won the match by 106 runs.
The form of the two Iyers, Venkatesh and Skipper Shreyas, is also not great and KKR would want more runs from the duo.
They are currently second in the table with five wins and three losses.
After a horrible start where they lost four out of their first five matches DC are staging a dramatic comeback. The Rishabh Pant-led side has now won four of their last five games, most of them also coming quite convincingly. The addition of Jake Fraser-McGurk has brought a dramatic turnaround in batting while the bowlers are continuously chipping in with crucial wickets.
Another win on Monday and they could be well in line for a playoff spot.
Here are the three key player battles that would set the stage for an exciting game.
Rishabh Pant vs Varun Chakravarthy
Rishabh Pant has consistently contributed crucial runs for the Capitals. The last time these two teams played, Pant scored a fighting half century. His wicket in that game was taken by Varun Chakravarthy. The spinner will again hold the key for KKR in the middle overs with Sunil Narine. While Narine continues to go strong, he hasn't found support from his spin partner. A good outing for Varun could make things for DC’s middle order which relies heavily on Pant.
Sunil Narine vs Kuldeep Yadav
In their last meeting, Narine was at the forefront of the assault on DC's bowlers. He scored 85 of just 39 balls to take KKR to 272. The Caribbean will once again be the danger man and DC would want his wicket as quickly as possible.
The Capitals’ best bowler has been Kuldeep Yadav who missed out the last time these two teams faced off. Rishabh pant will not waste much time to bring his best bowler against a rampaging Narine. It will be interesting to see what Kuldeep brings from his vast spin arsenal to get Narine early.
Jake Fraser-McGurk vs Mitchell Starc
Jake Fraser-McGurk has been at the centre of Delhi's dramatic turnaround this season.
The young Australian is scoring at a strike rate of 237.5 and has already smashed three fifties in the tournament, with two of them being the fastest of the season.
Mitchell Starc missed the last game for KKR but he is expected to be back on Monday. The left arm Pacer will have a massive challenge in front of him as he takes the new ball for KKR. An out of form Starc will use all his experience to get better of the youth shot making of Fraser-McGurk.
This all-Australian battle will be the most exciting one.
