IPL 2026: Here's why DC can overcome KKR challenge
What's the story
The Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi is all set to host the crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The match, which is the 51st of the tournament, will take place on Friday. While DC have lost four of their last five matches, KKR have won each of their last three after a terrible start of the season. Here we look at why DC can dominate the upcoming game.
Match analysis
Batting is still an issue for KKR
Though KKR are enjoying a three-game winning streak, the team still has several issues to counter. Their batting has been a hit-and-miss, with none of the players delivering consistently. Even their opening combination is far from settled. Hence, if DC's new-ball pacers—Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi—inflict some early damage, the recovery won't be easy. Moreover, the Capitals have prominent spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel for the middle overs.
DC
DC score over in batting department
Meanwhile, DC's top-three batters—Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul, and Nitish Rana—have been among massive runs lately. Though KKR boast the effective spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, their pacers have not been consistent. In DC's last game, Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi rescued the team following a top-order collapse. Hence, Delhi's batting power can be a major point of difference between the two sides.
Team line-ups
Here are the likely XIIs
DC (Probable XII): KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, and T Natarajan. KKR (Probable XII): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicket-keeper), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and Varun Chakravarthy.