Teams Status
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals saw their three-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday when they lost a final-ball thriller to Royal Challengers Bangalore by just a single run. But even in defeat, last year’s finalists showed that they again mean business this year and are genuine contenders.
After their top order was rocked early in pursuit of a 172-run target, their captain Rishabh Pant and West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer refused to go down without a fight, with both hitting half centuries. Needing 10 to win off the final two balls, Pant almost pulled it off, finding two fours when he needed at least one of them to sail over the boundary line.
Such a painful loss might sting for a bit but it should not cause any harm to Delhi’s momentum heading into the match against KKR.
Kolkata Knight Riders
The mood in camp Kolkata will be exactly the opposite of Delhi’s. In their last game, they defeated Punjab Kings by five wickets and snapped a sequence of four straight losses.
Thanks to their balanced bowling effort, KKR only had to chase 124. However, their confidence has been so shot this season that they might have failed, had it not been for their captain Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 47. Keep in mind that they were 17-3 at one point and on the verge of yet another meltdown.
KKR batting has been blowing hot and cold for a while now, and the top order needs to get their collective act together if they are to qualify for the play-offs.
Their uncapped front three comprising Shuman Gill, Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi have contributed runs individually at time but neither had produced even one match-winning innings so far. Sunil Narine, meanwhile, has failed to even get into double figures in his three outings. All of this explains where the KKR are going wrong.
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