DC to face former skipper Shreyas Iyer’s KKR in much-awaited showdown

In a much-anticipated IPL showdown on Sunday, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant will face off against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders, led by their former captain Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer was one of the architects of the Delhi franchise’s rebirth in the IPL, having led them to their first-ever final in 2020. He was replaced as captain of the team last season after missing the first half due to injury. The franchise did not keep the 27-year-old, who was acquired at auction by KKR.

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Under his captaincy, the Knight Riders have six points from four games, with their only defeat coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The Capitals, on the other hand, have lost back-to-back games after a winning start and are now sixth in the league.

Both Pant and Iyer are seen as potential India captains, and it will be interesting to see how they perform. However, with only one game under his belt, the wicketkeeper-batter may be feeling the strain.

After losing to the other new club, the Gujarat Titans, the Capitals lost a close encounter to the new arrivals, Lucknow Super Giants.

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While the return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje from injury bolstered the bowling squad, the South African, who hadn’t bowled since the T20 World Cup in November, appeared predictably rusty.

Despite having a plethora of alternatives, the bowling unit has struggled, allowing runs against Gujarat Titans and LSG. Mustafizur Rahman has been their best performer, but others need to do a better job of complementing him.

Their batting team has also appeared disjointed, with skipper Pant set to do the majority of the job with the willow once again.

The Capitals will need on Prithvi Shaw, who hit 61 off 34 balls against LSG, and veteran opener David Warner to offer a decent start, as their middle order has failed to inspire confidence.

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KKR enters the match with a lot of confidence after defeating Mumbai Indians with a 15-ball 56 from Pat Cummins.

The former champions have appeared to be a well-oiled machine capable of dealing with any situation.

Umesh Yadav has been in imperious form, putting in strong powerplay performances, and he and Australian Cummins constitute a fearsome pace combination that can bother Delhi’s young batters. Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, both spinners, may also turn up the heat.

Venkatesh Iyer excelled with the bat in the previous game, but the seasoned Ajinkya Rahane is struggling, and it will be interesting to watch how long the team management sticks with him. Skipper Iyer will be looking for a huge score as well.

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The batters have responded favourably to the Brabourne pitch. With the dew effect unlikely to have an impact on the day game, captains may be tempted to bat first.

FULL SQUADS:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.