Andre Russell and Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, a mighty challenge for Delhi Capitals
This match could come down to leadership in tough situations, and that puts the home team at an advantage
Big picture
In the news
- Harshal Patel has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an arm fracture. Manoj Tiwary and Manpreet Gony were seen trialling with Capitals.
- Manjot Kalra, who was out injured, had a fitness test on Thursday.
Previous meeting
Likely XIs
Strategy punt
- Delhi Capitals have a yorker efficiency of 50% at the death, which is the highest in the league this year. Rabada and Chris Morris are the duo to have achieved that. The addition of Trent Boult in place of Ishant Sharma could give them another dimension to their pace attack at the start, which could be vital in stopping Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn
- Prithvi Shaw has been dismissed thrice by length and back-of-length deliveries in the Powerplay this season. Prasidh Krishna's bowling style can help Knight Riders exploit this vulnerability
- Colin Ingram came with a reputation and a recent history of top T20 performances, but he has the second-lowest average (20.7) this season of batsmen who've scored a minimum of 100 runs. Most of those runs, however, have come against spin and his presence is crucial against a likely three-pronged spin attack
Stats that matter
- Dinesh Karthik has made 91 runs at a strike rate of 118.18 in five innings this season - it's his worst start to an IPL season since 2015
- These teams have hit a combined 45 sixes - which will be the highest coming into a fixture this season
- Lynn needs one run to complete 1,000 for Knight Riders, and Knight Riders need one win to complete 100 in IPL history. Only five T20 teams have done that before
Varun Shetty is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo