IPL 2025: DC vs KKR: Preview, Prediction, Starting XI and Where To Watch The Match LIVE

Delhi Capitals (DC) will resume their Indian Premier League 2025 campaign by locking horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 48th match of the season, set to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, April 29.

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Preview

Under first-time captain Axar Patel, Delhi Capitals (DC) made a flying start to their Indian Premier League 2025 campaign, winning their first four matches. However, their momentum has dipped since returning to Delhi. In their three games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium so far, they have suffered two defeats, with their only victory coming via a Super Over.

After opening their campaign with four consecutive wins, Delhi Capitals have experienced a patchy run of form. They have lost three of their last five matches, and if not for Mitchell Starc’s brilliance in a Super Over against Rajasthan Royals, the tally could have been even worse. Their return to the Arun Jaitley Stadium has also been less than ideal, with two defeats in three outings. Nevertheless, despite their latest setback against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, DC continue to occupy a spot in the top half of the points table and remain firmly in the hunt for a top-two finish — a luxury their opponents on Tuesday do not share.

Against Mumbai Indians, DC collapsed in a 206-run chase despite being in control until Karun Nair’s dismissal in the 12th over. Facing Rajasthan Royals, they were staring at defeat before Mitchell Starc defended nine runs in the final over to force a one-over eliminator. In the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, their bowlers failed to capitalise on an early collapse by the opposition.

DC’s struggles at home have also been a concern. They failed to chase down 206 against Mumbai Indians, posted over 200 against Gujarat Titans only to lose again, and were unable to defend 162 against RCB despite an encouraging start with the ball. Even against Rajasthan Royals, they needed a Super Over to seal victory after setting a total of 188. While most of their batters have been getting starts, they have struggled to turn them into decisive contributions — something Axar Patel and his side will be eager to rectify quickly.

The dip in form of some key players has contributed to their struggles. KL Rahul, who had scored 185 runs in his first three outings (having missed DC’s season opener) at an average of 92.50 and a strike rate of 169.72, has since managed just 179 runs in five innings, with his strike rate dropping to 127.85.

Kuldeep Yadav was another early standout, picking up eight wickets at less than a run a ball across DC’s first four matches. However, over the next five games, his wicket tally halved, his economy rate rose to 7.35, and his strike rate jumped from 12 to 30.

Mitchell Starc started IPL 2025 in fine form for DC, picking up nine wickets in his first three matches at an impressive average of 11.56 and an economy rate of 8.91. However, his impact has dwindled over the last six games, managing just three wickets at a staggering average of 109.50, an economy of 10.77, and going wicketless during the powerplay phase.

Delhi Capitals have experimented heavily at the top, using as many as five different players in the opening position this season — the most by any team. Their opening partnership average of 24.22 is the third-lowest among all sides, ahead of only CSK and KKR.

DC’s Kuldeep Yadav has had the better of KKR’s Sunil Narine, dismissing him twice in just three deliveries across two innings this season.

Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, had a mixed start to their season, winning three and losing three of their opening games. Some big-margin victories helped them maintain a healthy net run rate, and just three matches ago, they were in contention to top the table after skittling Punjab Kings for 111. However, their decline began in that very match when they were bowled out for 95. Since then, they have lost to Gujarat Titans and suffered a no-result at home due to rain.

With only one win in five attempts at Eden Gardens and just seven points from nine games, the Knight Riders will be desperate for a revival away from home — starting with the clash against DC, the first of their three remaining away fixtures.

For KKR, batting woes have been at the heart of their troubles, especially in their last two defeats. Their top-order problems have been pronounced — they are the only team yet to record a fifty-plus opening partnership this season, with just 159 runs amassed by their opening pairs across nine matches. The middle order hasn’t fared much better recently, with their Nos. 4-8 combining for the worst average (20.00) among all teams. With six sides sitting ahead of them in the standings, KKR are running out of time and must find solutions fast.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane has enjoyed strong performances at Eden Gardens this season, amassing 205 runs in four innings at an average of 51.25 and a strike rate of 158.91. However, his returns in away fixtures have been far less impressive, scoring just 66 runs in four innings at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 117.85.

Among bowlers, only R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, and Piyush Chawla (27 wickets each) have claimed more wickets against DC than Sunil Narine, who has 24 to his name.

When it comes to opening partnerships this season, only Chennai Super Kings (19.77) have a lower average than Kolkata Knight Riders (19.87) and Delhi Capitals (24.22).

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Recent Form

Delhi Capitals LWLWL(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LLWLW

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Head-to-Head

KKR hold an 18-15 advantage over DC in head-to-head meetings. However, since 2022, DC have had the edge, winning three of the last five encounters. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the rivalry stands evenly at 5-5, but KKR have not beaten DC at this venue since 2017, suffering three defeats since then, including a Super Over loss in 2019.

• Matches Played: 34
• Won by Delhi Capitals: 15
• Won by Kolkata Knight Riders: 18
• Tied: 1
• No Result: 0
• First-ever Fixture: May 5, 2009
• Most-recent Fixture: April 29, 2024

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

DC mentor Kevin Pietersen mentioned after the RCB match that the team opted for a slow and low pitch to neutralize their opponents’ strengths and planned to do the same against KKR. The game will be held on pitch No. 5, located centrally, meaning there won’t be a shorter side for batters to exploit.

The previous pitch was drier, providing more help for spinners, especially during the first innings. With dew likely to influence the game, teams will prefer to chase. A total in the 190-200 range should be seen as a challenging target to defend.

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Team News and Predicted XI

Delhi Capitals – Team News

Faf du Plessis made his return in the last match after recovering from a groin injury. Though he appeared slightly out of touch, scoring just 22 runs off 26 balls, DC is likely to stick with him and maintain the same lineup. Despite the quick turnaround after their game against RCB, DC is expected to keep the same combination. They may continue their strategy of starting with six batters, even if they bat first, as they still have six bowling options.

Most of DC’s batters don’t have favorable matchups against KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, but KL Rahul has had more success. Rahul has scored 114 runs off 85 balls against Narine, averaging 57.00 with a strike rate of 134.12, despite being dismissed twice. However, he’s been slower against Chakravarthy, managing 45 runs off 46 balls, with one dismissal.

DC’s spinners could be key against Ajinkya Rahane, who has had some difficulty against spin this season. Rahane has scored 100 runs off 81 balls against spin, averaging 20.00 with a strike rate of 123.46 and a boundary percentage of 12.3. Dushmantha Chameera could also be effective against Andre Russell, having dismissed him three times in 17 balls in T20 cricket.

Delhi Capitals – Predicted XI

1. Faf du Plessis
2. Abishek Porel
3. Karun Nair
4. KL Rahul (wk)
5. Axar Patel (capt)
6. Tristan Stubbs
7. Vipraj Nigam
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Dushmantha Chameera
10. Kuldeep Yadav
11. Mukesh Kumar
12. Ashutosh Sharma/Mohit Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders – Team News

Harshit Rana seemed to be in significant discomfort after injuring his elbow while diving to catch a ball near the practice pitches during the previous game against PBKS. He didn’t bowl after that incident, but the pacer, who appeared at the press conference with a bandaged elbow, assured that he was fit and ready to play. Given the pitch conditions might favor spin, Moeen Ali is expected to replace Rovman Powell in the lineup, and KKR might consider adding an extra batter like Ramandeep Singh or Manish Pandey.

After making a couple of changes in their last match—replacing Ramandeep Singh and Moeen Ali with Rovman Powell and Chetan Sakariya—KKR is unlikely to make further adjustments following the washout against Punjab Kings.

While the rest of the squad participated in various drills or football, Andre Russell was the first to take the nets, facing a mix of throwdowns, including from a left-arm bowler, and sending them over the boundary. Although his form this season hasn’t been remarkable, Russell will be crucial for KKR against Starc. The West Indian has never been dismissed by the left-arm pacer in T20s, having scored 55 runs off 23 balls at a remarkable strike rate of 239.13.

For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine will play a pivotal role with the ball, as both spinners have favorable matchups against most of the DC batters. Axar Patel has been dismissed twice by Varun, managing only 7 runs off 23 balls, while Narine has dismissed him three times for 35 runs off 29 balls. Additionally, both Faf du Plessis and Tristan Stubbs have been dismissed twice by Varun.

Kolkata Knight Riders – Predicted XI

1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
2. Sunil Narine
3. Ajinkya Rahane
4. Angkrish Raghuvanshi
5. Venkatesh Iyer
6. Rinku Singh
7. Rovman Powell
8. Andre Russell
9. Harshit Rana
10. Vaibhav Arora
11. Varun Chakravarthy
12. Chetan Sakariya

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Players To Watch Out For

Faf du Plessis (Delhi Capitals)

With Jake Fraser-McGurk struggling for form, the pressure will be on Faf du Plessis to perform at the top of the order for DC. He featured in three of the first four matches of the season but missed the next four due to a niggle.

Upon his return against RCB, he faced difficulties and has not managed to score more than 30 in any of the four matches he has played, aside from his half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Kolkata Knight Riders)

In his third season with KKR, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has the opportunity to secure an extended run in the team, having replaced Quinton de Kock at the top of the order.

The opening partnership has been a weak point for KKR, and they will be hoping that Gurbaz can build a solid partnership with Sunil Narine. Gurbaz was dismissed for just one run in his first match of the season and remained unbeaten on 1 in the washout against PBKS. He will be hoping for a much better performance in Delhi.

Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Prediction

Scenario 1

• Toss: Delhi Capitals win the toss and bowl
• Powerplay Score: 55-60
• Kolkata Knight Riders Total: 200-205
• Match Result: Delhi Capitals win the match

Scenario 2

• Toss: Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and bowl
• Powerplay Score: 60-65
• Delhi Capitals Total: 205-210
• Match Result: Kolkata Knight Riders win the match

When and Where To Watch Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders LIVE? Broadcast and Streaming Details

The Indian Premier League 2025 clash between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders is set to begin at 7:30 PM IST on Tuesday, April 29, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network and will also be available for live streaming on JioHotstar for FREE.

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