Delhi Capitals
Kolkata Knight Riders
The Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns in Match 48 of IPL 2025 on April 29 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. DC are looking good this season with six wins from nine matches and is sitting fourth on the table with 12 points.
KKR, on the other hand, have had a rough ride so far, winning just three out of nine games and finding themselves down at seventh with only 7 points. DC’s last outing was against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where they put up 162/8 batting first. KL Rahul top-scored with 41 off 39, but Virat Kohli and a surprise knock from Krunal Pandya took the game away in the 19th over. Axar Patel grabbed two wickets for 19 runs, but it wasn't enough.
KKR’s last match didn’t even get going properly — rain played spoilsport. PBKS had hammered 201/4, and KKR were just 7/0 when rain washed things out. Both sides shared a point. KKR’s form hasn’t been great either, with three losses and only one win in their last five, including that shocking defeat to PBKS where they failed to chase the lowest-ever defended score.
With hitters like Rahul, Stubbs, and Porel in form, DC should clear the ropes more often than KKR.
The betting tip is...
Most Sixes: DC
68 %
32 %
Delhi CapitalsKolkata Knight RidersDelhi Capitals will be looking to hit back after their six-wicket loss to RCB. Abhishek Porel will open with Faf du Plessis this time. Porel’s been on fire, smashing 253 runs at a strike rate over 150. Du Plessis is back after Fraser-McGurk couldn’t click at the top. Faf has got 103 runs in 4 games and will be hungry to deliver. Karun Nair will walk in at number three. After his big 88 against Mumbai, he’s been quiet, scoring just 41 runs in the next four matches.
KL Rahul is the man in form. With 364 runs in 8 innings at an average of 60 and a strike rate of 146, Rahul’s looking like his old self again. Three fifties, 16 sixes — he’s been class. In the middle order, Axar Patel will be key along with Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Varma. Axar’s done well with the bat, 189 runs at 156 strike rate, but hasn’t done much with the ball. Stubbs has been solid too — 217 runs at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 164. Ashutosh Varma made quick runs, 138 in 6 innings with a strike rate of 175.
Mitchell Starc will spearhead the bowling along with Kuldeep Yadav. Starc has 11 wickets in 9 games but is leaking runs with an economy of 10. Kuldeep’s been the standout, 12 wickets with an economy of just 6.55 — the best in the DC camp. Mukesh Kumar will have a big role too, with 9 wickets from 9 matches.
KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar.
KKR have only three wins from nine games and need something special to turn it around. Sunil Narine will open the innings with Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Narine has been decent, scoring 151 runs at a strike rate of 175, and he's chipped in with the ball too, picking up 7 wickets at an economy of 7.75. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane will bat at number three. He’s been KKR’s best batter so far with 271 runs at a strike rate of 146.
In the middle order, Angkrish Raghuvanshi will join forces with Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh. Raghuvanshi has impressed with 197 runs at an average of 40. Rinku Singh hasn’t really fired yet, making just 133 runs in 7 innings. Andre Russell’s form with the bat has been a big worry — only 55 runs in 6 innings. He’s taken 7 wickets with the ball, but don’t be surprised if KKR thinks about bringing in Moeen Ali for some fresh energy.
With the ball, Varun Arora, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy will lead the attack. All three have 11 wickets each from 9 matches. Chakravarthy will be the one to keep an eye on — he’s been KKR’s most economical bowler, going at just 6.85 runs an over.
Ajinkya Rahane, Harshit Rana and Angkrish Raghuvanshi are key players for KKR.
Predicted Lineup: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh , Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Delhi Capitals look sharper and more settled than KKR right now. With KL Rahul in top form and Kuldeep Yadav controlling the middle overs, DC should have the edge, especially at home.
KKR’s batting looks shaky, and unless Narine or Rahane pulls off something special, it’s hard to see them getting past a confident DC side.
