Visakhapatnam, April 3 (UNI) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won the toss and elected to bat first against Delhi Capitals in the 16th match of IPL 2024 at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
At the toss, DC Captain Rishabh Pant expressed his preference to bat first as well, citing the possibility of the pitch slowing down later in the game.
He praised the performance of the fast bowlers in the previous match and hoped for a repeat performance. Pant also mentioned one change in the team, with Mukesh Kumar being replaced by Sumit Kumar due to injury.
On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer, leading the opposing team, noted that the pitch seemed favourable and didn't anticipate any drastic changes compared to the previous match. He spoke about his journey from Delhi to KKR and emphasized the importance of sticking to the process.
Shreyas also mentioned the inclusion of Sunil Narine in the team, with a clear role to attack the bowlers in the initial overs. Additionally, he announced one change in his team, with Angrish Raghuvanshi coming in.
KKR are currently on a winning streak with two victories in as many games. Conversely, DC secured their first win at their new home in Visakhapatnam by defeating the Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs, earning their initial points in IPL 2024.
Prithvi Shaw marked his return in style, while Pant overcame a slow start to accelerate the innings towards the death overs. The bowlers capitalized on the conditions here.
However, DC face a formidable challenge as they go up against one of the in-form teams of the tournament, KKR. They have had ample rest with only two matches played so far. Their opener, Phil Salt, has been in good form, while Narine showcased his batting prowess in the last game against RCB.
Moreover, KKR's middle-order is brimming with confidence, and their bowling department has been functioning well.
Although Visakhapatnam proved to be lucky for DC in their previous game, they faced a tough task against KKR. It remains to be seen if they can maintain their momentum and finish well with another victory tonight.
Teams:
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Rasikh Dar Salam, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
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