IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Dream11 Team Prediction, Probable Playing 11 Details

Ahmedabad, April 28: Delhi Capitals would like to forget Tuesdays' one-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore when they come out to face Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL 2021 encounter at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday (April 29).

Kolkata are coming from a much-needed win when they defeated Punjab Kings by 5 wickets and climbed to the fifth spot in the points table. In the second game of the day, Rishabh Pant-led Delhi side would be looking to get to winning ways and complete 10 points, which would make their playoffs race easier.

Eoin Morgan-led KKR, on the other hand, will be eager to keep the winning momentum going and make further ascend in the points table.

In terms of head to head, KKR hold a slight edge over Delhi. In 26 games the two teams have been a part of, Kolkata have won 14 while Delhi could only win 11, and 1 match yielded no result.

However, the dynamics of head-to-head between the two teams have changed in the last three seasons. Since 2019, Delhi have beaten Kolkata on four occasions in six games and coach Ricky Ponting would be encouraging his boys to keep the dominant show up.

Team News: Delhi Capitals

On Tuesday, Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer smashed brilliant half-centuries against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the big run chase but they failed to take their side home.

After losing the match by a slender margin of just 1 run, both the youngsters were left heartbroken on the pitch. With 14 required to win from the last six deliveries, Pant and Hetmyer could only manage 12 as Mohammed Siraj prevented the duo from crossing the victory line.

However, there were a lot of positives for Delhi despite a narrow defeat against RCB. The form of Hetmyer - who displayed his big-hitting capabilities against RCB - is a major boost for the side.

Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis have also batted well and the coach would be looking for an even better show from the senior Aussies.

Ishant Sharma's return in the side and his superb bowling effort in the very first game in the powerplay just made Delhi's pace battery more lethal. Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan are playing their roles to perfection now and will be raring to run through KKR's batting attack.

Senior spinner Amit Mishra has been economical and has been hunting on the big fishes in the tournament, providing Delhi with the much-needed breakthroughs at regular intervals. Axar Patel has also been in fine form ever since his comeback this season.

Team News: Kolkata Knight Riders

The comfortable win over Punjab Kings must have settled the nerves of the KKR squad for they once again got to the winning ways. Captain Eoin Morgan and coach Brendon McCullum would now hope that the team extends the winning streak in the remainder of the matches in Ahmedabad.

Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi gave KKR a solid start with the new ball in the powerplay and Sunil Narine has once again found his mojo back. The mystery spinner from the Caribbean is once again bowling miserly and troubling the opposition batsmen with his variations.

Against a star-studded Punjab Kings batting line-up, Prasidh Krishna Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy bowled economically. Having picked up key wickets in the last game, the confidence of Krishna and Chakravarthy must have also gone up. The duo would be aiming to do their best in the middle overs and trouble a batting heavy Delhi side.

The batting department remains a concern for KKR though. Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana's form is putting a lot of pressure on the middle order. Their dismissal in the powerplay overs is putting extra pressure on the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan et al.

Against Delhi Capitals, KKR's new opening pair would be looking to break the shackles and come out all guns blazing. Andre Russell has shown glimpses of his big-hitting exploits in the tournament but the power-hitter hasn't finished any game for his team and that is a matter of concern.

Playing XIs:

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

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