Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Time: 3:30 PM IST
Average score at venue: 169
Win percentage while batting first: 44.44%
Pitch Conditions:
- Given the small ground dimensions in Sharjah, it is a little surprising that teams have not been able to notch up big scores the way they did frequently in the Indian T20 2020 edition. The pitch remains friendly for batsmen and a big score is certainly on the cards.
- So far, fast bowlers have dominated proceedings at the Sharjah Cricket Ground with 66.54% of wickets coming their way while spinners getting 33.46% of the dismissals.
Weather prediction:
The temperature will be at a high of 37°C at the start of the contest between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals on Tuesday afternoon in Sharjah. It will drop down to 34°C by the time the contest gets over, and the players will encounter humidity percentages varying between 55 to 60.
Head-to-head performance:
Matches played: 27
Delhi Capitals (DC) won: 12
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won: 14
No result: 1
Top 3 players from Delhi Capitals (DC): Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada
Top 3 players from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Delhi Capitals (DC): Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant
Top 5 players from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
It is indeed a little surprising that so far in the two matches played at this venue, teams have not been able to notch up big scores which are quite easily possible at the Sharjah Cricket Ground due to the small field dimensions. However, the same can be expected from a batting line-up which is in form as well as long enough to execute the same, which is the case of last year’s finalist Delhi Capitals. Kolkata Knight Riders too have plenty of batsmen who are in form and can make big contributions, but the bowling attack of the Delhi Capitals usually does not allow opposition batsmen to flourish against them. Either way, it will be wise to add more to the batting strength going into this contest for playing fantasy cricket.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Delhi Capitals are certainly the stronger side between these two teams since they are sitting pretty at the second spot in the Indian T20 2021 points table and have almost assured themselves a place in the playoffs. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are only beginning to pick up now, after enduring a tough run in the first leg which was held in India a few months ago. KKR started the second leg of Indian T20 2021 with an impressive 7-wicket victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but a defeat to Chennai Super Kings has added another to their list which at the moment reads: 4 victories in 10 matches with 6 defeats and 8 points. Delhi Capitals have more batsmen as well as bowlers in form and are primed for top performance compared to that of Kolkata Knight Riders, who have just started to find their feet in this tournament.
MORE INFORMATION:
Players’ form: Delhi Capitals have been bolstered with the return and the form with the bat of Shreyas Iyer, who has played a few significant innings already to provide further fuel to their campaign. The opening partnership of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw remains extremely dangerous, and so does the new ball South African pair of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada. Delhi Capitals also have some really great all-round depth in Akshar Patel, Lalit Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin, and provided Shimron Hetmyer fires with the bat, they are the team to beat in this tournament along with CSK and RCB. On the other hand, KKR would like more runs from their star opening batsman Shubman Gill, with Venkatesh Iyer so far doing a fantastic job at the top. The likes of Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and Andre Russell were among runs against Chennai Super Kings but KKR would want more from these key players. Varun Chakravarthy has been the leader of their bowling attack while Kolkata Knight Riders will certainly be very pleased without the way Sunil Narine bowled the final over against CSK, nearly defending 4 runs which can be an improbable task even for the best bowlers in the world.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.
Delhi Capitals (DC): Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Lalit Yadav, Shimron Hetmyer, Akshar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje.
FANTASY XI: Shikhar Dhawan (vc), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rahul Tripathi, Shimron Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Andre Russell, Akshar Patel, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Varun Chakravarthy.
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Delhi Capitals look to dominate inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders
Delhi Capitals will be the firm favourites in the contest against an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders when these two teams meet on Tuesday afternoon at Sharjah in the Match No 41 of the Indian Premier League (Indian T20) 2021, with the Eoin Morgan-led side desperately looking to reboot their campaign with a string of victories in the last four matches that are left for them.
As many as four teams are involved in a battle for the fourth spot in the Indian T20 2021 points table, on which KKR are currently presiding. KKR have 4 victories from 10 matches and 6 defeats giving them 8 points, but most importantly, a Net Run Rate (NRR) of 0.322 which is negative in the case of all the other teams Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians.
Iyer has been a revelation for KKR this season while the other batsmen in Tripathi, Rana and even Russell have done well in bits and pieces. However, KKR desire more from their star opening batsman Gill who has not been in his usual elements coming back from a long injury layoff, captain and their captain Eoin Morgan has remained tad embarrassingly inconsistent as always.
India mystery spinner Chakravarthy is undoubtedly the leader of the KKR bowling attack but the way Narine went about his job in the final over of the game against Chennai Super Kings would certainly have given the KKR camp a lot of assurance and confidence, knowing that their senior bowler is carrying some form.
KKR will face an uphill task to record a victory against Delhi Capitals, who are currently sitting at the second spot in the Indian T20 2021 points table with 8 wins in 10 matches and only 2 defeats giving them 16 points.
Delhi Capitals have been absolutely rampant in this Indian T20 2021 season. They are coming of a 33-run victory against Rajasthan Royals in their previous match, and with the Rishabh Pant-led side yet to book a spot in the Indian T20 2021 playoffs, no let off can be expected from the Capitals who are marching along the lines of the Australian teams of past under the leadership of Ricky Ponting.
