Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils: Match preview
What's the story
Kolkata Knight Riders are gearing up to welcome former captain Gautam Gambhir to the Eden Gardens as they lock horns with the Delhi Daredevils. Having lost the last two games, the Knight Riders are hoping to get back to winning ways while Delhi would be looking to keep their winning momentum going. Here is our pitch report and statistical preview of this fixture.
Top of his game
Piyush Chawla brings his A game against DD
Kolkata's spinner Piyush Chawla has bagged 18 wickets against the Delhi Daredevils, which is the joint second highest for any player against DD. Malinga and Harbhajan top this list with 21 wickets each. Chawla has bagged those wickets in 17 matches at an average of 23.55 and it also includes a four-wicket haul. Chawla boasts a decent economy against DD conceding 7.66 per over.
100 wicket haul
Narine close to scripting history
Sunil Narine has 14 wickets against the Delhi Daredevils in 11 matches at an average of 18.93 including a 4-wicket haul. Narine also boasts a stunning economy of 6.16 against the Daredevils. The West Indian is only one wicket shy of becoming the third overseas bowler after Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo to claim 100 wickets in the IPL.
Chasing milestones
Dinesh Karthik has been in fantastic form
Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik needs just 7 more runs to become the 12th player to score 3,000 runs in the Indian Premier League. DK has been one of the most consistent performers this edition and has scored 25+ runs in each of his last 3 innings. Big-hitting Australian Chris Lynn is just short of 34 runs to complete 3,000 T20 runs.
Captain fantastic
Gambhir is the 'Daredevil' Delhi needs
Gautam Gambhir might have captained KKR for 7 years but the southpaw boasts a stunning average of 36.75 against his former side. This was during the first 3 seasons of the IPL, when he played for Delhi Daredevils. Gambhir scored 147 runs in five innings against KKR. Gautam Gambhir has scored 560 runs in this fixture (413 runs for KKR).
Information
Daredevils will have to contain the dangerous Uthappa
Robin Uthappa has scored 551 runs against Delhi Daredevils. He is one of the four players to score 500+ IPL runs against the Delhi outfit. His 551 runs have come in 19 innings at an average of 32.41 including four fifties.
Key battles
Personal scores to settle in this game
Glenn Maxwell has scored 51 runs off Piyush Chawla at a mammoth strike rate of 170. However, Chawla has got the better of Maxwell on 3 occasions in just 30 balls. Mitchell Johnson also has a stunning record against Gautam Gambhir. The Australian has bagged the wicket of the Delhi captain thrice in 38 balls while conceding just 47 runs.
Pitch report
Batsmen's paradise, fast bowlers' nightmare
Eden Gardens has been batsmen's paradise in the past. The venue is considered as one of the best batting surfaces. Spinners are likely to extract some turn from this pitch as the match progresses but since the humidity level is expected to be as high as 79%, dew might play a role in this high octane fixture.