IPL 2023, DC vs KKR: Preview, Pitch Report, Probable XIs, Fantasy Tips & Prediction

Delhi Capitals players celebrating a wicket (AP Photo)

It's a first double-header Thursday in IPL 2023 and in the second game of the day, we have Delhi Capitals taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. The home team led by David Warner has failed to deliver as a unit so far and are yet to get off the mark this season with five straight losses in a row. KKR, on the other hand, have won two games out of the five they have played but it has been largely because of individual brilliance and it is high time they get their act together and deliver consistently.

Team Preview: Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals are the only team this season to not win a single game so far. They have some quality players in their line-up but they have failed to deliver especially with the bat which has led to their downfall. David Warner has scored runs but his strike rate has been pretty below par but if others around him don't score, we cannot fault Warner much for his approach.

David Warner walking off the field after getting out (AP Photo)

Their bowling, on the other hand, has done decently. They have genuine wicket-takers like Anrich Nortje and Kuldeep Yadav but it is really their batters that need to step up.  Axar Patel has been brilliant with his all-round skills and if Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh can fire, they could trouble KKR in this game.

Team Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR have played an entertaining brand of cricket this season. Nitish Rana, the new skipper has played couple of sparkling knocks and has led his troops quite well. The likes of Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer have caught plenty of eyeballs and especially Rinku Singh has become a household name with his antics in the final over against GT. However, their big man, Andre Russell has not yet fired with the bat, it is high time he joins the party.

Rinku Singh playing a powerful shot against RCB (AP Photo)

Their pacers have been expensive this season and it is their spin trio that is doing the bulk of work. Rana would be hoping for better control from Lockie Ferguson and if their batters and bowlers fire in unison, KKR is a pretty dangerous side.

Match Details

Date & Time: April 20, 07:30 PM IST
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Live Streaming: Jio Cinema & Star Sports Network

Pitch Report: The surface in Delhi is expected to produce good balance between bat and ball. The spinners are likely to get some help and batters need to apply themselves in the middle to get big runs. So, strike rotation will be key here and anything around 170-180 would be a par score.

Probable Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals: David Warner (C), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Manish Pandey, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Abishek Porel (WK), Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mustafizur Rahman

Impact Players: Aman Hakim Khan, Yash Dhull, Praveen Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed, Sarfaraz Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders: Jason Roy, N Jagadeesan, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (C), Rinku Singh,  Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact Players: Suyash Sharma, Mandeep Singh, David Wiese, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora

Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Wicketkeeper: N Jagadeesan
Batters: David Warner, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer
All-rounders: Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine
Bowlers: Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

Captain: Mitchell Marsh
Vice-Captain: Nitish Rana

Prediction

Delhi Capitals have failed to click as a unit this season but their big-ticket players are due for some runs. If their batting group can get their act together, we might just see Capitals finally getting a win under their belt at their home ground.