Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash here on Monday.

After back-to-back defeats, Karthik-led KKR will be desperate for a revival, while Delhi will hope to continue their momentum after snapping a two-match losing streak in style against Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

On the field, it will be Gambhir who will have the upper hand despite DD's poor 8-12 head-to-head record against KKR. Gambhir, who was associated with KKR since 2011, has better knowledge of the conditions and he will be keen to make a point against his former franchise.

Included in the DD side at the expense of Colin Munro, Roy showed his prowess with a sizzling display as the Englishmen smashed his career best T20 score to pull off a tricky last ball victory.

Gambhir can heave a sigh of relief after their batting combination clicked following some experimentation in the first two matches. He too would like to score some runs against his former franchise.

As DD look to climb up the table, KKR will be keen to arrest their slide and they will have to do a lot of soul-searching - first and foremost would be to get their batting organised.

Karthik would hope that his deputy Robin Uthappa, who is a KKR veteran, shoulders more responsibility with the bat as his scores of 13, 29 and 3 have been a big letdown.

It's also high time that Karthik backs his skill and makes an impact before questions are raised about his captaincy as he would be under immense pressure in one of the biggest tests of his career.

All eyes on Gambhir’s return to Kolkata