IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today's DC vs KKR match
Delhi Capitals (DC)'s return to home (Vizag for now, not Delhi) has already crashed the winning streak of one well-rounded IPL 2024 team and now it's time for another, the rejuvenated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to face that challenge.
Unsurprisingly, although DC's win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was set up by a rare opening stand, it was the bowlers who brought their A-game to take them home. And they'll need the same against KKR, who have an unsettled batting line-up but are flying high on the versatility of their bowling group.
Neither team has shown a completely dominant performance yet. If they bring it out in this game it'd be a massive clash-crash. Below, we have kept that, and more, in mind to predict three bowlers who can dominate the proceedings:
#3 Kuldeep Yadav
This one is contingent on Kuldeep Yadav being fit. But given the reason stated for the left-arm wrist-spinner's absence in the last match was just a "niggle", he has a decent chance to return for the match against KKR, his old franchise.
Since being released and snapped up by DC, Kuldeep has often saved his best for KKR. You can say that losing one of India's best spinners hasn't hurt KKR squad-wise as much as facing his wrath in direct clashes.
In three games against the Men in Purple and Gold, he has bowled spells of 4/35, 4/14, and 2/15. These 10 wickets have come at an astonishing average of 6.40 - far better than his record against any other opponent.
Although the grass-covered Vizag pitch might not support him a lot, his variations would be a handful for KKR.
#2 Harshit Rana
In what would certainly be his first full season with the new ball, Harshit Rana has been in superb form for KKR, picking five wickets in two games at an average of 14.40. The way he uses his variations -- which look simple but have been difficult to read even for the best - almost guarantees him wickets at any pitch,
Moreover, he can swing the new ball at a high pace which is exactly what worked here for DC in the last match. Also, like Kuldeep, playing against his state franchise means it's a homecoming of sorts for Harshit too.
David Warner and Prithvi Shaw would try to take him on early but he has already shown the ability to adapt and use that to his advantage. Rishabh Pant, Mitchell Marsh, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, and Abhishek Porel still don't form a seasoned middle-order group and could be vulnerable to Harshit's death-over skills.
#1 Khaleel Ahmed
The star of the last match, Khaleel Ahmed looked at his best against CSK when he got the perfect swinging conditions against two openers who are not the greatest against the moving ball. He'll enjoy the same advantage against KKR's Phil Salt and Sunil Narine and even the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer.
Unfortunately for KKR, the left-arm seamer has also historically been superb against their batters - picking up seven wickets from four matches at an average of 17.71 (his best for any team he has played more than one match against).
And that's not even the best part. DC would be glad knowing that even when Khaleel is not able to snap up wickets with the new rock, he often comes back and uses his cutters to find a few with the old ball - just like he did against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) earlier in the season. KKR won't have it easy.