It's Match Day - KKR's encounter No. 7!

On the back of a comprehensive five-wicket win in the last match against the Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders will now lock horns against the Delhi Capitals in a much-anticipated clash on Thursday in Ahmedabad.

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KKR will head into this game with a slightly better record against their rivals, having registered 14 wins in 25 games played so far.

The boys in Purple and Gold were at their peak against the Punjab outfit. After electing to bowl first, Shivam Mavi stifled the opposition with his serious pace and swing in the first six overs.

The spin twins, Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine, operating in the middle overs, picked up crucial wickets to dent the opposition as well. The bowling unit looks pretty effective when these three in-form bowlers are combined with the fiery pace of Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna.

While the batting unit will still be wary of the inconsistent performances of the top order, they will be pleased with the grit their middle-order showed in the last match, especially Skipper Eoin Morgan.

Along with Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and the skipper himeslf, the team comprises one of the most formidable middle-order lineups in the competition. Our powerhouse Russell, who turns 33 today, had been in good form against CSK but didn't really fire his cylinders in the last two games. Who knows, the birthday boy might just have some surprises in store for us!

Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, will be coming into this game after a heart-breaking one-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Lack of consistency in the death bowling department was one of the biggest concerns for the Capitals against RCB. The team conceded 23 runs in the final over of the innings, helping RCB post 171 runs. 

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Delhi's team management will heavily depend on Steve Smith not only for his batting abilities but also for his international experience. With Rishabh Pant still early in his captaincy, the Capitals would need Smith to contribute a lot more in assisting the youngster make crucial decisions on the field.

Delhi are currently stationed at No.3 in the points table with 4 wins, while KKR are at No. 5 with two wins. 

 

KKR Squad list:

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi 

DC Squad list:

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings.