IPL 2024, DC vs KKR: Kolkata Knight Riders Opt To Bat Against Resurgent Delhi Capitals

Visakhapatnam: The Delhi Capitals (DC) will face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) today at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. This will be DC’s second home game at the venue, which saw a large Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fanbase during their previous match due to MS Dhoni’s presence. However, DC hopes for a stronger home crowd support against KKR.

DC will seek to build momentum after their crucial win against CSK, having started IPL 2024 with a string of losses similar to their performance in 2023. Their batting depth might be a concern compared to other teams, making consistent top-order performances essential. Openers Prithvi Shaw and David Warner, who boast impressive records against KKR (Warner with the highest runs scored against them at 1075), will be crucial. Rishabh Pant’s promotion to number 3 against CSK displayed positive intent, and his fifty adds another dimension to the batting.

KKR, on the other hand, remain undefeated after two clinical wins. Their bowling attack, however, has shown weaknesses, particularly in the powerplay. Mitchell Starc’s expensive spells and lack of wickets are a cause for concern. With conditions in Visakhapatnam likely to favour swing and seam bowling, Starc will be looking to bounce back. The batting department, excluding Andre Russell, Phil Salt, and Venkatesh Iyer, will also need to step up.

The pitch used for the first match offered swing and seam movement throughout the innings, with the potential to increase under lights. Similar conditions are expected for the DC vs KKR clash. Both teams will also need to factor in the high heat and humidity forecast for Visakhapatnam.

Playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: Philip Salt(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders Subs: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbazni

Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Rasikh Dar Salam, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Delhi Capitals Subs: Abishek Porel, Kumar Kushagra, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Jake Fraser-McGurk