IPL 2023, DC vs KKR: Decoding the key player battles

Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns in the 28th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. The Capitals are yet to win their first match. They have suffered five consecutive defeats as of now. Meanwhile, KKR are coming off two successive defeats. As always, there are some key player battles on offer.

Although DC skipper David Warner's strike rate remains under the scanner, he has been among the runs. Warner, who averages 45.60 in the season, would be crucial for DC in the Powerplay. KKR might bring senior spinner Sunil Narine to stop him. Narine has dismissed Warner twice in the IPL. However, the former has smacked Narine for 176 runs at 88.00.

Venkatesh Iyer, the only Indian centurion in IPL 2023, has often been in hot water against left-arm pacers. They have dismissed the KKR batter seven times in 21 innings. His batting average against them is 28.14. Mustafizur Rahman, who is known to contain the flow of runs, could perturb Venkatesh in the match. It remains to be seen who comes out on top.

Explosive batter Andre Russell is off to a patchy start with the bat. His scores in the season read 35, 0, 1, 3, and 21*. Three of his dismissals have been recorded against spinners. His strike rate against them comes down to 106.25. It will be interesting to see how left-arm spinner Axar Patel bowls to Russell. Notably, Russell strikes at 192.85 against Axar.

Rinku Singh has become a household name after his heroics against GT. He smashed five sixes in the final over to hand KKR a formidable win. However, the left-handed batter remains vulnerable against spin. He strikes at just 93.26 against spinners in the IPL. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who tackles the left-handed batters well, could be a threat to Rinku.

Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium will host the DC-KKR match. The pitch here is generally good for batting, but the slow nature will aid the spinners as the match progresses. 8.17 is the average run-rate for teams batting first here in T20 cricket. Star Sports Network will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema from 7:30pm onward.