IPL 2021 - Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders: Qualifier 2 Match Preview

Find out team news, TV and streaming information, odds, head-to-head record, weather forecast and much, much more ahead of the penultimate game of the Indian Premier League season

dckkr111001-min

What’s the match?

Delhi Capitals take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 of the 2021 IPL.

When is it taking place?

The game is scheduled for 7.30pm IST (3pm BST) on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.

Where is the match being played?

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah is hosting the game.

Who’s got the form?

The penultimate match of an IPL which has refused to end sees Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders face-off for the last place in Friday's final.

Chennai Super Kings await in Dubai, after defeating in Capitals in the battle of the top two in Qualifier 1.

KKR meanwhile have taken the scenic route to this stage, often balancing perilously on the tightrope of elimination.

They started the resumption with two wins from seven and their playoff hopes in tatters.

Three victories from their final four matches saw them progress on net run-rate ahead of reigning champions Mumbai Indians.

The Eliminator was a far from serene affair either, needing a late cameo from Shakib Al Hasan to see them to a four-wicket win with two balls to spare, to end Virat Kohli's captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

dafabet_midbanner2

What are the odds?

Dafabet can barely separate these two sides, with Delhi Capitals 19/20 to reach the final while KKR are 5/6 to prevail.

There is a bit more daylight between the sides in the six-hitting market, with KKR 17/20 to lead the way.

DC have been somewhat gun-shy in this category and are 13/10 to clear the rope the most times.

Who are the ones to watch?

In a tight knock-out game expected to be determined by key decisions in pressure-filled moments, the focus has to be on the captains.

In one corner you have Rishabh Pant, No.72 in the men's T20 Player Index, the youngest player to skipper a side in the IPL playoffs.

The India keeper-batter has led by example in this competition, scoring 413 runs at 36.54. Only opening Shikhar Dhawan is scoring at a better rate for the Capitals.

But above all else, Pant continues to perform above his years as a leader, a role he has virtually learned on the job since being thrust into the role.

"He has got a good eye of what's going to happen in the game, and that's really nice having that especially as a captain," said Anrich Nortje.

"The simple things like being good with angles and where fielders need to be placed, projecting what's going to happen, really nice having him at the back."

In the opposite corner is the much-experienced Eoin Morgan, who for all his critics during the 2021 IPL has shepherded his side to within one game of their first final since 2014, when they went on to scoop the title.

The England captain took over from Dinesh Karthik last term and endured a bumpy start alongside some woeful form with the bat (12.90 ave in 2021).

Critics were lining up to pick apart Morgan's ability to lead, but guiding another team to a major final would be a real feather in his cap. How he uses his bowlers, particularly spinners Shakib, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, will be fascinating.

t20_player_index_may_3

What's the team news?

Capitals are still waiting on the fitness of Marcus Stoinis, who has not featured since the victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a hamstring injury.

KKR have been without Andre Russell since losing to Chennai Super Kings but it might be that he is left out given the close proximity to the T20 World Cup.

What's the head to head record?

The two teams have played each other 28 times.

Delhi Capitals wins: 12

Kolkata Knight Riders wins: 15

No result: 1

What's the weather forecast?

Temperatures are expected to hit 36 degrees Celsius for the start of play, with a light breeze of around 11mph.

Follow the Met Office forecast here.

Are fans allowed in?

Yes, a limited number of fans are allowed to attend games during the IPL's UAE leg.

What’s the prediction?

KKR have all the momentum from the group stage and won the most recent meeting between these sides on this ground. The Capitals have a rough patch at the wrong time.

IPL TEAM GUIDES

Chennai Super Kings

Delhi Capitals

Kolkata Knight Riders

Mumbai Indians

Punjab Kings

Rajasthan Royals

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Where can I watch the game?

Sky Sports have the rights in the United Kingdom.

You can aso stream the tournament using the Disney+ Hotstar digital platform, though the matches are only available for VIP or Premium subscribers.

Star Sports have the television rights in India.

Streaming service YuppTV have acquired digital streaming rights in a host of markets, including Australia, continental Europe, Malaysia, Southeast Asia with the exception of Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Central Asia, and Central and South America.

In the USA, the games will be broadcast on Willow TV and the Willow TV website. Fox Sports have the broadcasting rights in Australia, while Supersport will televise the games in South Africa. In the Caribbean, Flow TV have the rights.

The following broadcasters owning the rights for their respective regions:

Bangladesh: Channel 9

Afghanistan: Lemar TV

Malaysia: Measat

MENA/UAE: BeIN Sport

Hong Kong: Now TV

Singapore: SingTel

New Zealand: Sky Sport

Papua New Guinea: EMTV

iplbanner

What are the squads?

Delhi CapitalsShreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Anrich Nortje, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Lukman Hussain Meriwala, M Siddharth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Pravin Dubey, Vishnu Vinod

Kolkata Knight RidersDinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Pawan Negi, Tim Seifert, Shakib al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer

What are the likely starting XIs?

DC: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Tom Curran, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan

KKR: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson

IPL 2021 squads

IPL 2021 fixtures

IPL latest news

Our coverage of the IPL is brought to you in association with Dafabet India. For more on Dafabet and to place a bet, click here

Comments

SERIES/COMPETITIONS

LOADING

STATS

STAY UP TO DATE Sign up to our newsletter...
SIGN UP

Thank You! Thank you for subscribing!

Edinburgh House, 170 Kennington Lane, London, SE115DP

website@thecricketer.com

Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.