After playing four away fixtures in a row, Kolkata Knight Riders will host Delhi Capitals in their seventh match of Vivo IPL 2019.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik and co. will have unfinished business to finish after a super over loss against the visitors in Delhi. KKR are currently placed second at the points table with eight points from six matches and will look to make the most of three back-to-back home games in pursuit for a play-off spot.
Head to Head
KKR: 13 | DC: 9 (Overall)
KKR: 8 | DC: 1 (In Kolkata)
The two-time Champions KKR have a superior overall record against DC. The visitors have always been a below par visiting team at Eden Gardens, winning just one out of eight matches.
KKR - The best in death overs
If there's any team that has set a better example about power hitting during 16-20 Overs, it has to be KKR, and much thanks to their superstar, Andre Russell.
The team has scored at a run rate of 13.1 runs per over while batting during the death overs in IPL 2019, the best by any team. Their run rate of 8 runs per over during powerplay is second best after Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Russell to rescue
The swash-buckling all-rounder needs no introduction. The Jamaican has rescued his team on many occasions. With 257 runs at an average of 128.50 and striking the ball at 212.39, Andre Russell is in the form of his life.
In our first fixture against DC in Delhi, Dre Russ' blitz along with DK's responsible knock took KKR from 5 for 61 in 9.1 overs to 185 for 8 in 20.
KKR News:
Our batters were tested against CSK in tough batting conditions. In our previous match, Russell's fighting fifty was the only highlight of the match for us during the first innings. Time has come when the team has to come good without over-relying on Andre Russell.
KKR bowlers had two good matches in a row. They were economical both against RR and CSK in two low scoring fixtures. Eden Gardens brings a different challenge altogether for the bowlers. The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine know the conditions well and will look to take advantage of it tonight.
DC News:
In IPL 2019, the visitors had many ups and downs. After a huge win over Mumbai Indians in their opening clash, the Capitals lost a close match against CSK. Kagiso Rabada held his nerves during the Super Over win against us and once again he'll be the go to man for Shreyas Iyer.
Colin Ingram had a few good innings but lacked consistency. Morris is yet to click with the bat which is a concern for the visitors.
Teams:
KKR: Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Carlos Brathwaite, Sandeep Warrier, Kuldeep Yadav, Shrikant Mundhe, Harry Gurney, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Nikhil Naik, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Chris Lynn, Rinku Singh, KC Cariappa, Joe Denly, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Robin Uthappa
DC: Shreyas Iyer (C), Avesh Khan, Bandaru Ayyappa, Ankush Bains, Trent Boult, Shikhar Dhawan, Colin Ingram, Sandeep Lamichhane, Manjot Kalra, Amit Mishra, Chris Morris, Colin Munro, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Axar Patek, Harshal Patel, Keemo Paul, Kagiso Rabada, Sherfane Rutherford, Jalaj Saxena, Ishant Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Nathu Singh, Rahul Tewatia, Hanuma Vihari
Last five meetings
DC 3-2 KKR
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: 12 April 2019, 8 PM
