IPL 2021 Match 25: Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders Betting Preview

IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets.

Match Details
Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Thursday, April 29th, 2021
16:00 SA Time

Betting Preview

The 25th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will have Delhi Capitals (DC) taking on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The two teams have faced each other 26 times before with KKR having the upper hand in head-to-head by 14-11 as one match ended in no result. The two teams had a high scoring thriller at Sharjah last season where KKR lost by 18 runs while chasing a 229-run target set by DC. However, in the return fixture, KKR comfortably defeated DC by 59 runs.

Delhi Capitals are currently sitting at the 3rd position in the points table with 4 wins in 6 matches. After a thrilling super over victory against SRH, the high flying Delhi Capitals were stopped in their tracks by RCB in what was an excruciating 1-run defeat for the Rishabh Pant’s men. As DC look to bounce back once again, they have a big plus to carry from the last game in the form of Shimron Hetmyer, who scored a brisk 53* off just 25 balls. Hetmyer’s form will give Delhi’s lower middle-order a huge boost which they have been missing for some time. DC’s bowling has done an impressive job even with a couple of quality bowlers missing out.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign has been in contrast to that of the Delhi Capitals’. With 2 wins in 6 matches, KKR are currently at the bottom half of the table. After losing four matches on the bounce, Eoin Morgan’s men made a strong comeback with a comprehensive victory over Punjab Kings where captain Morgan led from the front in the run-chase scoring an unbeaten 47 off 40 balls. KKR will take a lot of heart from the win, especially from the bowling performances of Shivam Mavi and Sunil Narine, who were exceptional on the night. KKR will hope to carry forward the momentum and string a few more wins together to get their campaign back on track.

Injury and Availability News

Delhi Capitals’ Ravichandran Ashwin has taken a break from the tournament due to Covid-19 situation. Kolkata Knight Riders will have all their players available for the selection.

Probable Playing XI

Delhi Capitals

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Amit Mishra.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.

Pitch and Conditions

The Motera stadium in Ahmedabad is a tricky venue. The pitches offer some assistance for the pacers and spinners however it’s still a good batting surface. Motera has seen scores of 123, 126, 171, 170 in the first two matches this season. The average first innings score at Motera in T20s is 165.

Key Players to Watch Out For

Shimron Hetmyer: The DC southpaw is one of the most exciting middle-order batters in the world. His fiery knock of an unbeaten 53 off 25 balls against RCB in the last match has shown exactly what the Guyanese power-hitter is capable of. With a career strike-rate of 192.2 between overs 17-20, Hetmyer has excelled at an unfamiliar role of a finisher in T20 cricket. Hetmyer can be much more effective if he bats higher in the order, where he can display his full range against spin and pace, alike.

Avesh Khan: Avesh Khan has been in a dream run of form in this year’s IPL. Getting a nod for the playing XI ahead of premier Indian pacers like Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan has lived up to the team’s expectations. With 12 wickets in 6 matches and big scalps like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in his kitty, Avesh Khan is a youngster booming with confidence. Avesh Khan passed the biggest test, bowling to AB de Villiers at the death overs, where he bowled exceptionally well and came out unscathed.

Eoin Morgan: Although the KKR-captain has had an underwhelming season so far, he has surely found his form with a match-winning 47* (40) against Punjab Kings. Eoin Morgan had a fantastic season last year with KKR, scoring 418 runs with an average of 41.8 and a strike-rate close to 140. KKR will need their captain to continue providing that stability in the middle-order which they have been dearly missing in this season so far.

Varun Chakravarthy: KKR’s mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy has proved over time to be the most reliable bowler for the team. With 7 wickets so far in the tournament with an economy of under 8 RPO, Chakravarthy has been their main weapon. It was the last time when KKR faced DC where Varun Chakravarthy shot to fame with a brilliant 5-wicket haul. The Knights will need him to turn the screws once again in an all important clash against DC.

What Bets To Take

Delhi Capitals

Shikhar Dhawan to be DC’s top batsman at 3.25.

Kagiso Rabada to be DC’s top bowler at 3.25.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Nitish Rana to be KKR’s top batsman at 3.75.

Varun Chakravarthy to be KKR’s top bowler at 3.50.

Prediction: Delhi Capitals to win at 1.68.