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Under first-time captain Axar Patel, Delhi Capitals (DC) started IPL 2025 with a bang, winning their first four matches. However, their fortunes have dipped since returning to their home ground. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, DC have managed just one win from three games — and that victory came via a Super Over.
Against Mumbai Indians, DC collapsed during a 206-run chase despite being in control until Karun Nair’s dismissal in the 12th over. Against Rajasthan Royals, they narrowly forced a Super Over thanks to Mitchell Starc's heroics. And against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, their bowlers failed to capitalize on an early collapse.
A loss of form among key players has contributed to DC's slump. KL Rahul, after a strong start with 185 runs in his first three games (he missed the season opener), has struggled since the team’s return to Delhi, scoring just 179 runs in five innings with a noticeable dip in his strike rate. Similarly, Kuldeep Yadav, who took eight wickets in the first four matches, has seen his effectiveness wane, while Starc’s wicket-taking rate has also declined.
Despite remaining in the top half of the table for much of the season, DC now find themselves needing to regroup quickly as the playoff race heats up.
Form Guide
Delhi Capitals: LWLWL (most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders: LLWLW
Team News and Probable XII
DC have little time to recover after their recent loss to RCB, but they are likely to stick with their current combination, possibly maintaining their six-batter strategy even when batting first.
Delhi Capitals probable XII:
Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ashutosh Sharma/Mohit Sharma
KKR made a couple of changes in their last outing, bringing in Rovman Powell and Chetan Sakariya, and are unlikely to change their combination after their washed-out match against Punjab Kings.
Kolkata Knight Riders probable XII:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya
Players in the Spotlight
With Jake Fraser-McGurk struggling, the pressure is on Faf du Plessis to lead DC’s batting at the top. After missing four matches due to injury, Faf has yet to fully fire, aside from a half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
For KKR, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has an opportunity to establish himself at the top of the order alongside Sunil Narine. With opening partnerships a concern for KKR, they’ll hope Gurbaz can turn things around after a slow start to his season.
Big Question
Will a slower pitch help or hurt KKR against DC?
Kevin Pietersen indicated that DC are sticking with slow, low surfaces to neutralize opponents — a strategy they will continue against KKR on a central pitch with no obvious short boundary.
Stats and Trivia
Kuldeep Yadav has dismissed Sunil Narine twice in just three deliveries across two innings.
Only R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Piyush Chawla (27 each) have more wickets against DC than Sunil Narine (24).
Only CSK (19.77) and KKR (19.87) have lower opening partnership averages than DC (24.22) this season.
Quote
"He's bowling really well, hitting his lengths and mixing it up cleverly. I won’t name names, but we should learn from watching other teams,"
– Harshit Rana on whether he has picked up lessons from Josh Hazlewood’s performances this season.
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