Settled teams look to overcome stumbling blocks

Saturday, April 30, 2016
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)

Three days after a heart-wrenching loss to table-toppers Gujarat Lions, Delhi Daredevils have a chance to bounce back against second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders.

Multi-coloured boots and convincing chases are this season's fads. Considering their substandard history in the IPL, some could argue that a few of Daredevils' sparkling performances this season belong in that category. But their consistency may have invalidated that argument. So far, Daredevils have mauled Kings XI Punjab, defended 164 against Mumbai Indians, chased 192 and almost pulled off an impossible heist in their previous game. However, their previous encounter against Knight Riders, on April 10 at the Eden Gardens, will be in the back of the players' minds as they were rolled over for 98 to lose by nine wickets.

Apart from horses-for-courses selections, Daredevils' bowling attack seems settled. Legspinners Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir have constricted batsmen in the second half of the innings. Chris Morris and Zaheer Khan have used their varying styles to limit the damage in the end overs. Morris came in at No. 6 against Lions and engineered a superb turnaround, but do Daredevils have the depth to overpower oppositions with the bat?

Knight Riders have beaten four teams, but both their losses came against Mumbai. Their management will now have to come up with a solution for their middle and lower-order fragility. Just enough was left to get past Rising Pune Supergiants. Against Mumbai, Knight Riders scored 52 off the last six overs, leaving themselves with a sub-par score to defend. Chris Lynn was brought in to establish balance in the side, but was used at No. 6.

Delhi Daredevils LWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LWWWL

Daredevils' South African contingent - Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Chris Morris and Imran Tahir - has improved the balance of the side. Each of them has carried out his role, and their international experience could be what Daredevils need in the second half of the season.

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have not made an impact yet this season. Russell has five wickets in six games, after going wicketless in his last three matches, and has conceded 157 runs in 17 overs. He has scored only 77 runs so far from four innings with a strike-rate of 157.14. Narine has been eased into his remodelled action. He has five wickets in four games at an economy rate of 6.37, but Knight Riders probably need more from their West Indian stars.

Daredevils may not need to change their side. If an additional seamer is required, Mohammed Shami could return for Shahbaz Nadeem.

Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Karun Nair, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Chris Morris, 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Imran Tahir, 9 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Amit Mishra

With Manish Pandey unavailable due to chicken pox, Knight Riders have tried Suryakumar Yadav and Shakib Al Hasan at No. 3. If they decide to persist with Lynn, he could be used at that position, considering he has plied his trade at No. 3 for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. Piyush Chawla could return for Jaydev Unadkat, too.

Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Robin Uthappa (wk), 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Andre Russell, 8 R Sathish, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Sunil Narine

With the Feroz Shah Kotla's short boundaries and the chasing record this season, both sides may prefer bowling first. In the previous game there, Daredevils plundered 113 off the last nine overs, chasing 173. The weather is expected to be dry, but temperatures could soar past 40 degrees Celsius.