IPL 2021 Playoffs | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals - BONS preview, head to head, where to watch, and betting tips
Rishabh Pant scored an unbeaten 51 runs against Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1
|Kolkata Knight Riders will play against Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, October 13. In their last fixtures, Kolkata won against Banglore by 4 wickets in the eliminator while Delhi lost to Chennai in qualifier 1 by 4 wickets.
BONS Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) will play against Delhi Capitals(DC) and both the teams will look to book a spot in the final of the IPL 2021. Delhi Capitals had lost the opprtunity to eneter the finals after losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Qualifier 1.
The Eoin Morgan-led side on Monday defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets in the Eliminator of IPL 2021 in Sharjah. Bowling first, KKR restricted the opposition for a meager total of 138 courtesy of a four-wicket haul from Sunil Narine. Chasing 139, Shubhman Gill became the top scorer for KKR with his 29 runs off 18 balls, and the Kolkata-based franchise completed the target with the loss of six wickets. From what we have seen so far, the KKR lower middle order is a major concern for the team. Eoin Morgan is out of form and absence of injured Andre Russell adds to that worry.
DC lost in a closely fought contest against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by four wickets in Qualifier 1. Batting first, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant's fifties guided the Delhi-based franchise to a decent total of 172. Pant smashed an unbeaten 51 off 35 balls while Shaw played an aggressive knock and scored 60 off 34 balls. CSK finished the game in the last over with the help of MS Dhoni's crucial unbeaten 18 off 6 balls. Tom Curran was the pick of the bowlers for DC with 3 wickets for 29 runs. Shemron Hetmyer has returned to form but Delhi would want their middle-order to score at a brisk rate after good starts from openers. Shreyas Iyer is yet to score a fifty in the IPL 2021.
Form Guide
Kolkata Knight Riders - W W W L W
Four wins from the last five games is an impressive record and it depicts that the team has given strong performaces this season. The only area that the team should focus on is their lower middle-order batting unit. In the absence of Andre Russell, either Eoin Morgan or Dinesh Karthik should shoulder the responsibility of finishing the matches.
Delhi Capitals - L L W W L
Only two wins from the last five games highlight the Rishabh Pant-led side's lack of consistency. Prithvi Shaw’s knock against Chennai Super Kings is the biggest positive for the team. The Delhi-based franchise needs to regroup and deliver in unison if at all they are fancying their chances over an upbeat KKR side.
Head to head
Both these teams have played 29 matches against each other. KKR has won 15 fixtures while 13 matches were won by DC. The average score for both the teams versus each other is 153.
Shreyas Iyer has scored 426 runs against KKR while Nitish Rana has scored 269 runs versus DC. Sunil Narine has picked 22 wickets against DC while Amit Mishra has piked 12 wickets playing against KKR.
BONS Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy
BONS Delhi Capitals Predicted XI
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Tom Curran, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje
BONS Match Prediction
Delhi Capitals have been the side to beat in this IPL 2021. There bowling unit has been rated as one of the best this season but the batsmen have not lived up to their expectation. On the other hand, KKR have peaked on the right time. The batting unit is posting competitive totals and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine are wreaking havoc. Lockie Ferguson is also troubling the opposition with his pace.
With the momentum on thier side and their bowlers unplayable for the moment, KKR have a good chance of beating Delhi on Wednesday.
Pitch Report
Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been a better playing surface since the last few matches. Team winning the toss should opt to bowl first on this surface. The batting might get easier in the second half of the match and seamers might get some assistance from the pitch in the powerplay. Around 170 will probably be a par score on this pitch but tea batting first should aim to set a target higher than that as both the teams will give their best to reach the final of the tournament.
Match info
Match - Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2021 Qualifier 2
Date - 13 October 2021
Time - 7:30 PM IST
Venue - Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
