Batting plans could make the difference in Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders clash of equals
In high-scoring Sharjah, the biggest hitters from both sides might bat further up than usual
Sreshth Shah
02-Oct-2020
Big picture
With two wins and one comprehensive defeat each, the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Capitals have begun their IPL 2020 campaigns well enough to be among the top few teams. With every result causing big changes to the points table, though, only victories can ensure they remain in the top half of the table.
Both teams have earned their two victories primarily on the back of their bowling. Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada have hit their straps for the Knight Riders and the Capitals respectively, and both teams have bowling line-ups that more or less cancel each other out: for the Capitals' Anrich Nortje, there's the Knight Riders' Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti. Among the spinners, the combination of Axar Patel and Amit Mishra for the Capitals have made run-scoring as difficult as the Knight Riders pair of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have
So, the way these teams will likely be separated is by who bats smarter. They are playing in Sharjah - where all four innings so far have crossed 200 - and both have their share of hard-hitters. Batting spots, therefore, could play an important role.
The cardinal sin at Sharjah would be if teams can't maximise their batting resources across 20 overs, and therefore it will be an interesting sub-plot to see if teams use their biggest hitters further up the order than usual. Even No. 4, where Rishabh Pant bats, and Shimron Hetmyer at No. 5 could be wasted that low at Sharjah for the Capitals, and in what order Narine, Andre Russell, Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik bat could seal the deal for the Knight Riders.
This season, ten of the first 13 games have been won by teams batting first, but in Sharjah that stat is split down the middle with one win each for the batting and chasing side. It's also the first time both teams would be playing at this venue. Although the Capitals lost their last game - compared to the Knight Riders, who are seeking their third straight win - Shreyas Iyer's team enters the contest knowing they have won their last three meetings against Dinesh Karthik's men.
In the news
On the eve of the match, Capitals' bowling coach Ryan Harris confirmed that R Ashwin had had a full session at the nets and could be up for selection after recovering from a shoulder injury, sustained in their tournament opener. The final word on Ashwin's availability, however, remains with the medical team. The Knight Riders are injury-free.
Likely XIs
Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Amit Mishra
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Shivam Mavi, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
Strategy punts
Stats that matter
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo