The second game on a double-header Saturday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is a mouth-watering clash between the Delhi Capitals(DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. DC has been one of the more impressive teams in the competition, with Kagiso Rabada coming out all guns blazing with the ball yet again. With an explosive batting unit complementing a balanced bowling attack, the Delhi Capitals look formidable on paper.
However, the Capitals are not yet fired completely as Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant not being at their best. Coming into this fixture on the back of a defeat against SRH, Delhi would love to get back Ravi Ashwin, whose experience could prove to be pivotal against a star-studded KKR side.
On the other hand, KKR can be expected to do better as they are yet to see the best of former IPL MVPs Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, KKR’s young trio of Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti has been firing all guns blazing. The experience of Eoin Morgan only sweetens the deals for the 2-time IPL champions.
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With some of the best players in the game taking to the field in Sharjah, we can expect another high-scoring encounter to end the first IPL 2020 double-header on a high. As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Shreyas Iyer vs Pat Cummins
DC skipper Steve Smith will be playing a crucial role. He has consistently done well in IPL in recent times as he had amassed 411 runs with three fifties in 2018 and 463 runs, in 2019 with the help of three fifties. This season he will have to be at his very best for the DC to do better.
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Iyer’s battle with the Australian pacer, Pat Cummins could be an interesting one as the latter has been known for troubling one of the best of batsmen. Cummins would be confident after his comeback against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
#2. Eoin Morgan vs Amit Mishra
With every match-winning innings that Eoin Morgan plays, he manages to witness an increase in is fanbase. He played a mature hand in KKR’s win over SRH, finding his groove en route to his 29-ball 42. He will most likely face a stern challenge from the DC leg-spinner, Amit Mishra.
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The leg-spinner had a wonderful 2019 season when he scalped as many as 11 wickets at a strike-rate of 21.8, which featured a hat-trick against RCB as well. With his bag of tricks, Amit has often been seen troubling some stalwarts from various franchises. Most definitely, he would be looking forward to taking on the likes of Morgan.
#3. Andre Russell vs Kagiso Rabada
An attacking batsman against a fiery fast bowler makes for an intriguing contest. And KKR all-rounder, Andre Russell is among the most aggressive batsmen on the T20 circuit. He blasted it out in the last season of IPL, when he scored runs 510 at a strike-rate of 204.81. Even if he spends only a couple of overs at the crease, he can make the most of it.
But, the contest is like a double-edged sword. While fast bowlers have also been seen leaking runs in IPL 2020, they also have the capability of making batsmen look embarrassingly bad if they get their line and length right. Kagiso Rabada is nothing short of one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in IPL he has scalped 25 wickets in 12 matches at a strike rate of 11.28 in 2019. He has performed against the best in the business and has made his mark with his guile.
