Back at the Eden Gardens, where they had launched their season with back-to-back wins, KKR can afford to look at Tuesday's loss in Chennai as an aberration after stunning victories in Bangalore and Jaipur
Dinesh Karthik
With the teething problems of a new season mostly ironed out, almost all teams in IPL-12 are beginning to hit their straps. When the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on Delhi Capitals (DC) today after a fortnight on the road, both are likely to feel suitably confident.
Back at the Eden Gardens, where they had launched their season with back-to-back wins, KKR can afford to look at Tuesday's loss in Chennai as an aberration after stunning victories in Bangalore and Jaipur.
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DC have landed here with a victory over RCB under the belt, enjoyed a couple of extra days' rest in the searing summer and, perhaps most importantly, have the reassuring knowledge that they have beaten Dinesh Karthik & Co in their last meeting. KKR wouldn't want to read too much into their narrow loss in Delhi, particularly in the game's shortest format, but Ricky Ponting was around to remind that it does count. "It's always good to win the first game," quipped the DC coach at the media conference.
The wicket at the Eden is a shade greener than the last time out, and should it stay that way on match day, it will no doubt work to the advantage of the visitors. Harshal Patel has been ruled out with a broken arm, but with a battery of pacers including Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Chris Morris at their disposal, DC are better endowed in that department. They can also gain from the pitch not lending itself to KKR's dangerous spin trio of Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla.
But, eventually, it's Andre Russell who looms the largest for the Knights these days and the conditions, a well-rolled track with true bounce and carry, should be to his liking - both as the incredible hitter as well as someone who loves to dig in when he has the ball in his hand. Among his near-impossible acts this season was ensuring a Super Over in Delhi.
Also read: IPL 2019: Andre Russell played with a lot of maturity, says Dinesh Karthik
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