IPL 2021: "Will give DC the edge in Qualifier vs KKR" - Ashish Nehra

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wreaked havoc on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 Eliminator in Sharjah. Their spin twins Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy were on fire, with the former picking up four wickets including those of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell.

However, former India pacer Ashish Nehra feels that Delhi Capitals (DC) have the edge in Qualifier 2 as they also boast a great pace attack.

KKR and DC will face off in Sharjah on Wednesday in the second Qualifier to decide who will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final.

Nehra said that pacers are also difficult to play on the Sharjah pitch, as was demonstrated by Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel in the Eliminator. That gives DC, who have pacers like Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, and Avesh Khan in their arsenal, a slight advantage.

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Speaking to Cricbuzz, Nehra said:

"KKR had the edge against RCB, but if you see Delhi’s team and even the way they played the last match, I would give Delhi the edge. KKR have good spinners, but this is the kind of pitch where even fast-bowlers can do well. Today, even Mohammed Siraj did well. DC have Nortje, Rabada and Avesh Khan. It’s not easy to play pacers on these pitches. Harshal Patel has done so well. It’s even harder to play the slower balls, so despite KKR’s spin bowlers, I would give DC the edge 55-45."

While Rabada and Nortje are proven stars at the international level and the IPL, Avesh Khan has had a breakthrough season, picking up 23 wickets in 15 matches so far.

Virender Sehwag backs KKR to edge Delhi in Sharjah

Former India opener Virender Sehwag was of a different opinion and said that KKR's familiarity with the Sharjah pitch and their good record there this season means they hold an edge over DC.

"I feel that KKR have played more on this ground, they know the ground better. They are the only team to have won batting first and bowling first in Sharjah. Other teams haven’t won so easily here. So I’ll say it’s 55-45 in favour of KKR," Sehwag said.

Sehwag also backed KKR to play an unchanged XI from the team that beat RCB by four wickets on Monday.