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The 28th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season will see Delhi Capitals (DC) lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, April 20.
DC are yet to get off the mark in the competition, having lost all five of their games so far. They will head into today's contest on the back of a 23-run loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The DC batters have failed to step up to the task, thereby hampering their campaign.
Skipper David Warner has also failed to lead by example. Although he has been amongst the runs, he has scored them at a sub-par strike rate. DC will look to bounce back and get off the mark as soon as possible.
The Knight Riders have had a mixed campaign so far, winning two out of their five matches. They suffered a thrashing at the hands of Mumbai Indians (MI) in their last outing. KKR have played well in patches but will be eager to put in a much-improved effort against the Capitals.
With both teams desperate for a win, a cracking contest beckons in Delhi. A couple of interesting matchups will also be on the cards later tonight.
On that note, let's take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the DC vs KKR tie.
#1 David Warner vs Umesh Yadav
DC skipper David Warner has amassed 228 runs this season at a strike rate of just 116.92. However, the Australian enjoys a decent record against KKR bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav. Warner boasts a strike rate of almost 145 against the senior Indian pacer.
Umesh, on the other hand, has dismissed the southpaw five times in 65 balls.
With both players tasked with giving their side a good start, it will be exciting to see who finishes on top at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
#2 Suyash Sharma vs Manish Pandey
The young KKR leg-spinner will be itching to bowl after watching Gujarat Titans' (GT) Rashid Khan and MI's Piyush Chawla run riot against DC during their respective games.
Suyash Sharma usually comes into the attack after the powerplay and could be up against Manish Pandey, who is likely to be used by Delhi as a middle-over enforcer.
With Manish tasked with accumulating quick runs, Suyash will have his tail up against the Indian batter.
#3 Anrich Nortje vs Venkatesh Iyer
KKR have tried various options at the top but have failed to get the desired results. However, Venkatesh Iyer has been the lynchpin in Kolkata's batting unit, scoring the bulk of the runs.
The left-handed batter, however, will be up against the express pace of Anrich Nortje. Although Iyer likes pace on the ball, the South African speedster can hurry the batters with his ability to clock over 150 kmph.
Nortje will be desperate to give DC a good start with the new ball, making this duel an exciting one.
