Kolkata Knight Riders, who have been enjoying great success so far in this IPl season, would face a tough challenge when they play Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Monday.
KKR have won three out of their four matches so far and even the only match they lost, against Mumbai Indians, was in their grasp until things went haywire in the last few overs. Delhi too have looked good this season. In spite of losing their first game, they bounced back to record big wins in the next two.
The home side seemed to be bowling-heavy at the start of the season but so far in the tournament, their batsmen have also contributed heavily. Sanju Samson showed his class with a magnificent hundred against Pune. Rishabh Pant, another prodigy also looks good in the middle order. Sam Billings, a highly rated English batsman, gained some form of his own with a fifty in Daredevils' last game. The batting line-up is also boosted by the presence of two big-hitters, Corey Anderson and Chris Morris in the lower order.
The much-vaunted bowling line-up of Delhi hasn't disappointed. Skipper Zaheer Khan used his experience and skills brilliantly in the first two matches. Chris Morris and Pat Cummins have looked very impressive while Amit Mishra's performance has also been good.
Batting has been the strong suit for KKR with their captain Gautam Gambhir leading the way with two half-centuries. Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa have also made valuable contributions with one fifty each in the tournament so far. But the side has suffered a big blow due to the injury of Chris lynn. The big-hitting Aussie looked in ominous form in the first two games before he was sidelined.
In his absence, Sunil Narine opened the innings and while he had some success against Punjab, it remains to be seen whether Kolkata persist with this experiment.
While Kolkata boast an impressive line-up in the bowling department, they have some concerns. Both Trent Boult and Chris Woakes are yet to prove their mettle in this format of the game. Umesh Yadav did pick up a four-for against Kings XI but he has to remain consistent.
The spinners, on the other hand, have been delivering for KKR. Sunil Narine, who remodelled his action, seems to be getting back his groove and has been very tidy this season. He is receiving good support from Kuldeep Yadav and even occasionally from Yusuf Pathan.
The pitch may play an important part as a slow wicket would favour KKR's spinners whereas a pitch with a bit of spice will bring Delhi's pacers into play. A tight contest is on the cards.