IPL 9 Match 2 Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders take on the new look Delhi Daredevils

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the new look Delhi Daredevils in the 2nd match of the IPL 9. Kolkata Knight Riders’ journey in the last five seasons has been bumpy. They won their first IPL title in 2012. The following season, they finished seventh. In 2014, the Gautam Gambhir-led side won their second title but finished fifth, having recorded seven games, six losses and one no result.

Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, did poorly in the previous season. They had an eventful time in the players auction and have huge squad. The side will be coached by Paddy Upton and India U-19 coach Rahul Dravid will act a mentor. Zaheer Khan will lead Delhi Daredevils this year and it will be interesting to see how they will perform this season. With wonderful players at their services, the DD franchise will definitely hope for a turnaround by putting up a great show this year and shrug of the underachievers tag.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Under the strong leadership of Gautam Gambhir, KKR have always been perennial contenders of the IPL. The core of the team is intact. Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa have also performed brilliantly with the bat. All-rounder and big hitters Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan add firepower in the batting line-up. Bowling wise, Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav will lead the fast bowling attack. New recruit Jaydev Unadkat has been impressive in his recent outings for Saurashtra. Brad Hogg, Shakib Al Hasan, and Piyush Chawla form the spin bowling department.

Delhi Daredevils:

Delhi Daredevils have been the most underperforming team in the history of IPL. The side looks fresh which is full of young and upcoming names. Shreyas Agarwal, who was a revelation last season, will most like open with Mayank Agarwal. Another exciting talent Sanju Samson would try to add more reputation to his name. The team has an ample number of explosive players. JP Duminy, Chris Morris and World T20 hero Carlos Braithwaite all have stupendous match-winning abilities. The bowling attack will be led by the skipper of the side Zaheer Khan and he will be partnered with Mohammad Shami. Pawan Negi and Imran Tahir will be the two frontline spinner in the team.

Probable XI:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shakib al Hasan, Andre Russell, Brad Hogg, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel

Delhi Daredevils:

Quinton de Kock, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, JP Duminy, Karun Nair, Carlos Braithwaite, Chris Morris, Pawan Negi, Imran Tahir, Zaheer Khan, Mohammad Shami.

Stats:

• Shreyas Iyer with 439 runs from 14 matches at an average of 33.76 was Delhi Daredevils highest run-getter last season.
• Robin Uthappa with 364 runs in 13 matches at an average of 30.33 was the highest run-getter last season.
• Andre Russell with an strike rate of 192.89 in 13 matches had the highest strike rate among both the teams last season.
• Imran Tahir with 15 wickets in 10 matches was the most successful bowler for Delhi Daredevils last season.
• Andre Russell with 14 wickets in 13 games was the best bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders last season.