Key match stats
Pitch Stats – Eden Gardens IPL Records
Pitch report Eden Gardens 10 most recent matches in the IPL
Team form KKR vs DC
Recent meetings: KKR won by 106 runs
Weather
General Forecast: Dry and Clear
Potential dew impact: High
Preview KKR vs DC
If you'd had said before the start of this year's IPL that batsmen will dominate bowlers to the extent that we've seen in recent weeks then I would have told you that it is a scenario that suits KKR more than most franchises. The strength and power of the Kolkata line-up puts them in a strong position to win out and out slog fests, as we've seen on multiple occasions in recent years.
By contrast, I wouldn't have thought that this DC side were particularly well equipped to compete in an IPL where 200 is fast looking like a below par score. Credit then has to go to Ricky Ponting and Saurav Ganguly for quickly realising that the bar had risen and that their side was in need of a major reshuffle.
DC average powerplay score in their first 7 matches of IPL 2024 vs the next 3
The real question now is whether that bar can be taken even higher to the extent that we see a score of 300 in an innings!
Given the way sides are playing at the moment that feels more like a case of when rather than if. A score of that magnitude will be dependent on pitch conditions and boundary size as much as the brilliance of the batting team and in that sense, Eden Gardens is a prime location.
The fact that Punjab Kings chased 261 here at an absolute canter with 8 balls to spare means that whoever is batting first in this match might need a score of around 300 just to be competitive! As with that match, and most other games at Eden Gardens this season, we can expect dew to play a significant factor in the second innings.
My Eden Gardens pitch report is based off the 10 most recent IPL games played here but even in that relatively short period of time the average first innings score is looking outdated. KKR have batted first in each of their last 3 home games and struck totals of 223, 222 and 261, winning only once in the game against RCB who really should have claimed victory chasing too.
Pace bowling is now going at over 10 an over and spinners aren't having much joy either. The economy rate for all spin at Eden Gardens in IPL 2024 is 9.6. However, if you take Sunil Narine out of the equation then that rises to 10.8!
In fact, in the era of big hitting batsmen, having a bowler who can consistently provide 4 overs for under 40 runs looks to be the most valuable asset a team can have!
Dehli Capitals can certainly attest to that after another fantastic performance from young Rasikh Salam in their last match. His figures of 3 for 34 trumped even the great Jasprit Bumrah in another high scoring game. The winner then of this match may well be determined by the side who have a bowler capable of something similar.
KKR DC head to head
DC bowling v KKR batting
DC's bowlers were punished when these 2 sides met earlier in the month. Even Rasikh Salam who has taken 6 for 78 across his last 2 IPL matches was on the receiving end of some very big hitting.
Current KKR squad vs Rasikh Salam
The 24-year-old has had a very stop start IPL career up to this point with spells at MI and KKR offering limited playing time before the move to Delhi. Perhaps the fact that most IPL batsmen he's played against recently haven't seen much of him before is working in his favour. That won't be the case against this KKR team who will have seen plenty of him in the nets and have hit him around in previous encounters.
Of course Rasikh isn't the only former Knight Rider who will be turning out for DC in this match. Kuldeep Yadav also returns to Eden Gardens, a pitch on which only 3 other players have taken more IPL wickets than the left-arm wrist-spinner.
Kuldeep Yadav Eden Gardens T20 record
Injuries mean that Kuldeep has had a bit of a stop start season and despite having 12 wickets in the 7 games he has played, he struggled against MI in DC's most recent match.
His absence in the game between these 2 sides earlier in the season was noticable, not least of all because it allowed KKR to bring Andre Russell to the crease in the 13th over. The big Jamaican proceeded to smash 41 from 19 balls as KKR wracked up a massive 272 against a clueless looking DC.
Russell head to head vs wrist-spin T20 cricket
The pair haven't faced each other very often in T20 cricket but Russell has managed just 4 runs from the 10 balls he has received from Kuldeep who has dismissed him once. More generally, wrist-spin is the match-up you want against Russell, a fact that has generally prevented him coming in earlier in the innings throughout his career.
KKR bowling v DC batting
Wrist-spin might also be the way to stop young Fraser-McGurk from going balistic at the top of the order again. I've suggested in earlier previews that his record against it in T20 cricket is weak but to date, no has tried wrist-spin against him in the powerplay.
Varun Chakaravarthy T20 bowling record in the powerplay
Compared to last season, KKR have been reluctant to use their spinners while the fielding restrictions are in place. That's partly due to them generally playing only 2 frontline spinners this year compared to 3 last season but also because we just haven't seen much spin here. Varun Chakaravarthy has only bowled 2 overs in the powerplay this year and been taken for 28 runs. He did however pick-up a wicket against RCB and KKR would no doubt trade a few boundaries for the all important breakthrough.
That David Warner looks likely to miss the game due to injury might not be the worst thing in the world for a young DC top order that are brimming with confidence. In fact, the Capitals will have a major call to make if and when he does return to fitness as to whether he's still worth a place in the side.
Hope and Pant head to head Narine T20 cricket
Given his match-up against Narine (average of 115 and strike rate of 158 in T20s) they might have figured Warner was worth recalling if he were fit. The question then is which of these Delhi batsmen can look to be the aggressor against Narine in Warner's absence?
As noted above, a spell of 4 overs for 35 runs might be the difference in an otherwise high-scoring match. On previous occasions, DC's middle order have been happy to survive against Narine and knock him around for singles. That's not likely to be enough in the context of the monster scores that keep on coming in IPL 2024.
All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
IPL player head to head records
IPL player records by stadium
IPL stadium records.
Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and highlights within GIFs which are not intended to infringe copyright- read full disclaimer. Background images are used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free.