Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals Preview & Tips - Kolkata to secure third consecutive IPL triumph

Delhi Capitals will miss out on the top four spots as a poor start to the campaign has cost them a playoff place. 

Kolkata Knight Riders have won six of the last 10 matches against Delhi Capitals with the latter winning the other four. The last four meetings between the sides have been won by KKR. 

Kolkata Knight Riders arrive with momentum behind them after a strong run at the latter-stage of the season. They have won six of their last seven completed matches and remain one of the more dangerous chasing teams in the competition. Their recent win over Mumbai Indians kept playoff hopes alive, although they will know they need a string of results to go their way if they are to appear in the Eliminator. 

Ajinkya Rahane has helped to add some stability to the top order, while Finn Allen’s aggressive scoring has helped Kolkata score quickly when he gets it right. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy remain the key partnership with the ball, especially at Eden Gardens where the spin bowling options become more important as the game wears on. 

While there are still question marks surrounding their pace bowling options at the death, KKR should have too much for Delhi whether they bat first or second. 

Any hope Delhi Capitals had of making the top four were curtailed by a disappointing run of five defeats across their opening eight games. KL Rahul has anchored the batting well, although their middle order has had a tendency to try to go too quickly, with this seeing them dismissed cheaply. 

Across their last four, DC have gone into bat first twice, while they have also been into bat second twice. When setting the score in these games they have lost, but when chasing they have won. There seems to be a real issue when defending totals, with their bowlers struggling to take wickets and defend scores. 

With the bat, DC have been pretty good chasing of late, but they cannot solely count on winning the toss and batting second. Four consecutive defeats at the hands of KKR heading into this one shows DC have been on the back-foot in this match-up, and I back another loss for the Capitals.