Sharjah: Andre Russell’s brute power will meet its match in Rishabh Pant’s fearless approach when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face Delhi Capitals (DC) in an IPL-13 game here Saturday. It is definitely going to rain sixes if either of the two – Andre Russell and Rishabh Pant get going. Both are yet to fire and if they do so, the Sharjah skyline will have a different colour.
Russell gave a glimpse of what is in store with three sixes on a big Dubai ground against Rajasthan Royals. On the other hand Pant will be itching to throw caution to the winds and play his natural game.
In fact, Pant needs it more than Russell. Three of his peers, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have all got runs under their belt. So the beefy man from Roorkee will desperately need some runs under his belt.
This will be the first weekend of double headers in the IPL. There couldn’t have been a better hitting ground for both Russell and Pant. It has with ridiculously short boundaries promising another run-fest.
If there is Shubman Gill, Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan in one side, there is Pant, Marcus Stoinis and Shreyas Iyer on the other. They are all capable big-hitters. They will be ever-ready to add to the whopping 62 sixes that has been hit on this ground in the two games held there so far.
KKR have been slowly getting into the groove with some comprehensive performances including the thumping win over Rajasthan Royals. DC, after two fine victories, hit a roadblock against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last outing.
The Knights have a pace attack in Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi. They bowled very well in the game against Rajasthan. However, on a batting paradise at the Sharjah International Stadium their temperament will be put to test. In Sharjah, a bowler is destined to go for runs. How the two manage that and try subtle variations will be key to KKR’s success.
KKR is unlikely to tinker with their winning combination. However, Sunil Narine as an opener hasn’t worked well for them in the three games. He has scored only 24 runs. However, he has bowled his full quota of overs in the three games with a decent under 8 economy rate and two wickets.
KKR will pursue with Narine provided he can attack the weak link in the DC attack which obviously will be an Indian pacer. It can be Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma or Avesh Khan.
In DC’s batting department, Shimron Hetmyer is yet to fire. It will be interesting to see how he tackles the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.