In the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 the Delhi Capitals (DC) will be locking horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The Capitals have emerged as a team to beat as they have registered seven wins in ten matches. With Kagiso Rabada topping the wicket-taking charts with 21 wickets, DC has a balanced squad as Shikhar Dhawan got his formal back after two consecutive IPL hundreds.
Delhi will fancy their chances of a win on Saturday, but it won’t be as straightforward as it seems. On the other hand, KKR has had a turbulent campaign so far, and has five victories in ten matches, and in the last game, they were decimated by RCB. Knight Riders’ batting unit hasn’t clicked of late, with any of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana able to get their form back. With Sunil Narine and Andre Russell’s availability also up in the air, there’s a lot to ponder for Brendon McCullum and the KKR management.
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The previous IPL 2020 encounter between the two sides saw Shreyas Iyer and Anrich Nortje star in a high-scoring thriller as DC walked won the match comfortably. Although DC are the clear favorites for this encounter, they will be wary of the depth KKR possesses, and this should make for a competitive contest in Abu Dhabi.
As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Kagiso Rabada vs Eoin Morgan
Despite having the burden of leading the team, Eoin Morgan has not flagged with the bat which has also helped KKR to stay in contention for playoffs. Delhi Capitals are at the far end of the graph, at the top of the table, and looking good for the knockouts. They have, in Kagiso Rabada, the man with the best wicket haul in IPL 2020 so far and the clash between these two on Tuesday would be quite the face-off.
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With Rahul scoring 278 runs off nine matches in IPL 2020, with a strike rate of 125.79 and Rabada scalping 21 wickets from 10 matches at an economy of 7.58. He has been among the wickets in every match and has been instrumental in many Delhi Capitals successes.
#2. Shreyas Iyer vs Lockie Ferguson
Lockie Ferguson has been able to produce the performance he was expected ahead of IPL 2020. He will be optimistic to continue his form back especially against DC skipper Shreyas Iyer, whose sublime stroke play can ruin the bowling figures of some of the best in the business. Iyer is amongst the top run-scorers in the ongoing edition, having scored 335 runs in ten matches at a strike rate of 131.37. He has been ensuring a quick start for DC and he is yet to hit the heights of his capability.
#3. Shikhar Dhawan vs Varun Chakravarthy
Shikhar Dhawan is quite the enigma for DC. He holds the lowest profile, quite happy for the glitz and glamour to be on the superstars while he gets on with his job. He has amassed 465 runs from ten matches with the help of a couple of half-centuries and as many centuries. In IPL history, the DC batsman has played 169 matches for 5044 runs at a strike rate of 126.7.
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Varun Chakravarthy has been as consistent for KKR as he has claimed seven wickets in nine matches but they all have been important wickets, at critical stages, and maintained the economy is 7.27. Varun will have his task cut out against Dhawan and the daunting Mumbai Indians batting.
