There is another double header of action in the Indian Premier League on Sunday and it begins at the Brabourne Stadium where the Kolkata Knight Riders take on the Delhi Capitals in what should be a decent clash.
Kolkata were the beaten finalists in this tournament last year and to get to that final they took care of the Delhi Capitals in the second qualifier after the Capitals had topped the table and messed up their first chance to head to the title showdown. One will want to stamp their dominance here while the other will have revenge in mind.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Although they lost the final last season, the Kolkata Knight Riders haven’t slumped and felt sorry for themselves. Instead they have started this campaign off very well with three wins from their opening four matches to sit on top of the table. One of the appealing things about those wins were they have been by big margins which means that already their net run rate is a massive advantage which could serve them well as they go through the season.
The crazy thing is that Kolkata are doing all these great things but their top order hasn’t really fired in the tournament just yet. They will do so eventually and when they do they will take the pressure away from the hitters down the order but it doesn’t seem to matter. Another reason why it doesn’t matter is because their bowlers look in outstanding form. We are early in the campaign but Kolkata look the real deal at the minute.
Delhi Capitals
After opening their campaign with a win it has been successive defeats for the Delhi Capitals so they will be looking to get back on track as quickly as they can. The worry for Delhi is that even their win isn’t carrying as much weight because it came against the Mumbai Indians who have lost all four of their matches and done so pretty comfortably. Delhi have played a game less than some sides in the competition but they sit four points off the top four already and won’t want that gap to grow.
The big problem for Delhi has been their batting which is a surprise. That is likely to improve the longer the competition goes on because Dave Warner is getting up to speed and they are still waiting for Mitchell Marsh to be fit. They could also improve with the ball as well but again that is going to happen naturally when Anrich Nortje has a few reps in him after missing the opening part of 2022 with an injury.
Key Players
Pat Cummins was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for his quality with the ball but he showed what he can do with the bat in their last win and having that sort of batting depth makes them a very dangerous proposition.
Delhi Capitals are going to need someone who can keep the likes of Andre Russell and Cummins under check and that man might well be Kuldeep Yadav. Neither player is as confident striking against mystery spin so the Delhi spinner could be a useful commodity against his former club.
Betting
The Delhi Capitals haven’t pulled up any trees with the bat this season and I’m not convinced that is going to change against this Kolkata Knight Riders attack which is looking ominously good. This is a day game so the dew shouldn’t be as much of a factor so I’m expecting this to be a low scoring game because Delhi could well struggle with the bat again. Even the match where they scored their best score they tucked into Daniel Sams at the death and he has been useless this season. There is no Daniel Sams in this Kolkata attack.
I don’t think it is automatic that Kolkata get after the Delhi bowlers either. Delhi have a couple of spinners to keep those Kolkata power players in check and then at both ends of the innings Mustafizur and Nortje are never the easiest to get away. This has been a high scoring ground in the competition this season but we’re getting to the stage where matches are being played on a pitch for the second time and when you put it all together I think the 341.5 run line is a little too high.
Tips
Back Under 341.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Betway
