Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders clash with each other in the 41st match of IPL today.
The match will take place at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
DC have three wins out of seven matches.
They are in 7th spot in the points table.
The Knight Riders are just behind DC at the 8th position.
Head-to-head record
In terms of past matches, KKR have a slight edge.
Played: 29
DC won: 13
KKR won: 16
No result: 0
Form at Wankhede
KKR won both their matches played at Wankhede.
DC lost both their matches played here till now.
So the venue is luckier for KKR from a historical perspective.
Pitch report
It’s a pitch that favours the team batting first as well as a team bowling first.
The first four games were won by teams chasing.
However, the last five matches have been won by teams batting first.
Having said that, the dew factor will again come into play due to Mumbai’s high humidity.
DC Likely 11
Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman/Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed
KKR Likely 11
Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings/Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh/Sheldon Jackson, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee/Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy
KKR Team analysis
KKR is having a rough ride.
The have lost four games in a row.
Their biggest issue is lack of consistency.
Their top scorers, Shreyas Iyer (248 runs) and Andre Russell (227 runs) are not in the best of form.
Except for a single fifty, Ventakesh Iyer has been unimpressive.
A lot was expected of Nitish Rana but he has cracked under pressure and thrown away his wicket repeatedly.
Even Sunil Narine is not firing unlike in the past.
KKR might try something different and might include Aaron Finch instead of Sam Billings in this match.
In the bowling department, Sunil Narine is their top wicket-taker with 6 wickets.
His economy is 5.37 per over.
Tim Southee too has 8 wickets in just 3 matches.
Umesh Yadav’s form has dipped after an impressive beginning but the biggest letdown has been Varun Chakravarthy.
DC Team analysis
Openers David Warner (219 runs, 3 fifties) and Prithvi Shaw (254 runs, 2 fifties) have been delivering for DC.
Warner has 219 runs with 3 fifties.
Shaw has 254 runs with 2 fifties.
Rovman Powell showed his prowess in the last match and looks like a real game-changer now.
Rishabh Pant has looked good but not bagged a big score yet.
The three all-rounders Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur are also under-performing.
Their best player has been Kuldeep Yadav with 13 wickets.
Khaleel Ahmed has given him good support with 11 wickets.
Shardul Thakur has been leaking runs at 9.6 runs per over which is hurting DC.
Who will win?
KKR has the edge in the Wankhede Stadium in the past matches.
However, their main batters and bowlers look woefully out of form.
DC is a fast-improving side and have the momentum.
Rovman Powell, Warner and Kuldeep Yadav can turn the tide in Delhi’s favour.
So our IPL prediction is that DC will win.