Delhi Daredevils (DD) will take on the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 17 of IPL 2015 at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Monday.
After two successive defeats at the start of this year's IPL, DD bounced back with back-to-back wins against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Their skipper JP Duminy has been leading them from the front with his all-round performances. Meanwhile KKR, pulled off a thrilling victory against the KXIP in their last match and they will look to carry the momentum. Here are some key battles that one can expect to witness during this match:
Shreyas Iyer vs Umesh Yadav: Iyer has been batting well at the top of the order for DD. In their last match against SRH, he went hammer and tongs while his skipper Duminy watched him play from the other end. Yadav on the other hand, has been bowling well in tandem with Morne Morkel up front. He is also getting the ball to swing which is always difficult for a batsman to deal with, as he usually bowls at a speed of 140+.
Gautam Gambhir vs Nathan Coulter-Nile: Gambhir has been KKR's best batsman so far in this edition of IPL. He failed to deliver in their last match against KXIP but he will look to score some runs at the top of the order and provide his team a good start. Coulter-Nile has been hitting the deck hard and has bowled in good areas. He can come in handy with the new ball and can be equally good at the death overs with his full length deliveries.
JP Duminy vs Morne Morkel: Duminy has been the star performer for DD and has been impressive both with the bat and the ball. Morkel has shared the nets with his fellow countryman and will be aware of his weaknesses. With the form Duminy is in at this juncture, Morkel will have to bowl really well in order to get him out.
Yuvraj Singh vs Sunil Narine: Yuvraj Singh has had mixed performances in this IPL. He will look to add some more runs to his name. He is one of the better players in this shorter format of the game but he will be up against the spearhead of KKR's bowling attack -- Sunil Narine. He is arguably the most economical bowler in the T20 format and he will surely want to cause some trouble for DD's star batsman.
Andre Russell vs Imran Tahir: Russell thumped KXIP single handedly with a brilliant batting performance in their last match. He can hit the ball a long way if he is allowed to free his arms. Tahir on the other hand, is the holder of the 'Purple Cap' till now but his economy has not been that great. If he manages to cut down on that economy, he can cause some serious problems for the batsmen with his leggies that skid off the surface.
