IPL 2024 preview: Delhi Capitals ready for Kolkata Knight Riders challenge

Delhi Capitals would be keen to prove that their comfortable win against Chennai Super Kings was not a flash in the pan, while Kolkata Knight Riders would expect a hat-trick of wins when the two sides face each other in the IPL here on Wednesday.

And next Wednesday, the Capitals will have to pull off another such performance against KKR, whose batters tackled Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowlers to register their second win of the season on March 29.

For DC, it will be up to Prithvi Shaw and the experienced Australian David Warner to ensure a solid start.

Meanwhile, Pant continues his inspiring journey. After two scratchy innings, the captain gave a glimpse of his devastating best as he scored his first fifty (51 off 32 balls) of the season and seems to be slowly finding his feet.

The likes of South African Tristan Stubbs and Australian Mitchell Marsh, both capable of launching an attack on the opposition, should be better towards the end as DC has no domestic power brokers.

While Stubbs showcased his prowess with the bat against Rajasthan Royals, a consistent show from him will do a lot of good for DC.

South African Anrich Nortje is yet to find his rhythm as he returned to action after a long injury layoff. So, the Capitals’ Indian pace unit will have to punch above its weight against a formidable KKR side.

Khaleel Ahmed’s performance against CSK was commendable, but his long-term fielding problems remain a concern. He especially struggles with aerial catches, dropping more than he successfully catches. He dropped a catch from MS Dhoni against CSK.

Mukesh Kumar lacks pace, while veteran Ishant Sharma is more than capable of asking pertinent questions.

KKR, on the other hand, have looked good this season, registering two wins from as many games. Opener Phil Salt, all-rounder Andre Rusell and Venkatesh Iyer were on a roll in the first two matches and could pose a challenge for the Delhi pacers.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer also got some runs to his name in the win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

First print: April 3, 2024 | 11:34 am IST