The first match of the day will see two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders locking horns with Delhi Daredevils in Kolkata. The two teams have previously met in this edition of the Indian Premier League where the Gautam Gambhir-led side notched up a win over the hosts by 4 wickets. Kolkata who are sitting on the top of the points table are in a sublime form and have faced defeats in just 2 matches out of the 8 they have played. On the other side Delhi are seeking a comeback after losing some close encounters in the competition.
What’s in the kitty
Kolkata Knight Riders have already registered a win over Delhi Daredevils in the previous match and they would surely be a more confident side coming in this game. Moreover, the kind of form that skipper Gautam Gambhir and wicket-keeper batsman Robin Uthappa are in, Kolkata would be depending upon the two Indian batsmen once again.
The strategy of making Sunil Narine open the innings has also worked well for the Kolkata franchise. Apart from these three, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan chipped in with brutal knocks when they last met Delhi. The two scored match-winning knock against the Daredevilsand would be looking to repeat the feat if required.
Delhi have been banking upon the young talent. Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer were the stars for the Delhi franchise in their last game against Kolkata and they would again be looking to produce something similar.
Limitations
Kolkata Knight Riders’ strike bowlers failed to leave a mark against Delhi Daredevils in the last game and they now need to improve their performance to get fruitful results.
For Delhi, it is all about holding a plot and dominate the opposition. They reduced KKR to 21/3 while chasing 169 in the last clash but still failed to grab a win.
Players to watch out
Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa failed against this particular franchise and they would now be looking to turn tables for themselves.
Rishabh Pant who looked promising in the start of the tournament has been out of touch for past couple of matches and the left-handed youngster will be a player to watch out as he would be seeking to get his form back.
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