After a blazing start to IPL 2025 with four consecutive wins, the Delhi Capitals appeared set to dominate the tournament. Victories against strong teams like Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru helped Delhi establish early momentum. However, injuries — especially to Faf du Plessis — and inconsistent form from their openers forced several changes in the batting lineup. Despite some stumbles, Delhi remain strong contenders, having won six out of nine matches and currently holding the fourth position on the points table.
In contrast, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have struggled to find consistency. Winless in their last three matches — including a rain-hit game against Punjab Kings — KKR’s campaign has suffered largely due to their faltering middle order. Their collapse against Punjab, where they failed to chase a modest target of 112, exposed critical weaknesses. To revive their season and keep playoff hopes alive, KKR must see significant contributions from key players like Andre Russell and Rinku Singh.
Match Details
When: Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
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What to Expect
The Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch for the previous fixture offered plenty of assistance to the spinners, particularly in the first innings. Expect a slow and low surface again, according to DC mentor Kevin Pietersen, designed to counter KKR’s explosive hitters. With dew likely to settle in later, chasing could be the preferred option for the captain winning the toss. A total around 190-200 should be considered highly competitive.
Head-to-Head Record
Total Matches: 33
KKR Wins: 18
DC Wins: 15
However, the recent trend favours Delhi. Since 2022, DC have won three out of their last five meetings against KKR. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the rivalry stands even at 5-5, but Kolkata haven’t defeated Delhi here since 2017 — suffering three losses including a Super Over thriller in 2019.
Team Watch
Delhi Capitals
Injury/Availability:
Faf du Plessis returned against RCB but looked rusty (22 runs off 26 balls). However, DC are likely to back him and continue with the same combination.
Tactics and Matchups:
KL Rahul has a decent record against Sunil Narine (114 runs, Avg: 57.00, SR: 134.12) but has struggled against Varun Chakaravarthy.
Delhi’s spinners could target Ajinkya Rahane, who has been uncomfortable against spin this season (81 runs in 100 balls, Avg: 20.00).
Probable XI:
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, Ashutosh Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders
Injury/Availability:
Harshit Rana, who injured his elbow during the last game, has confirmed his fitness.
Moeen Ali is expected to come in for Rovman Powell, adding another spinning option on a sluggish Delhi surface.
Tactics and Matchups:
Andre Russell will be vital. He has an outstanding strike rate (239.13) against Mitchell Starc and has not been dismissed by him in T20s.
Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine will be key with the ball, especially against Axar Patel, Faf du Plessis, and Tristan Stubbs — all of whom have struggled against spin recently.
Probable XI:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh/Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Key Stats
Opening Woes:
DC (24.22) and KKR (19.87) have two of the three lowest opening partnership averages this season.Mitchell Starc’s Dip:
After taking 9 wickets in his first 3 matches (avg: 11.56), Starc has managed only 3 wickets in the next 6 games (avg: 109.50).Home vs Away:
Ajinkya Rahane has excelled at Eden Gardens (205 runs, avg: 51.25, SR: 158.91) but struggled away (66 runs in 4 innings, avg: 22).Kuldeep vs Narine:
Kuldeep Yadav has dismissed Sunil Narine twice in just three deliveries.Spinners’ Domination:
Delhi’s strategy to produce spin-friendly tracks could tilt the game in their favour, especially given KKR’s batting vulnerabilities against quality spin.
Pitch and Conditions
The match will be played on Pitch No. 5 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium — located in the center, ensuring no significant shorter boundary. Expect a dry, slow track aiding spinners early on. With Delhi experiencing temperatures over 40°C during the day, fitness and endurance will be tested, although evenings will be slightly cooler. Dew is expected to make chasing easier later in the evening.
Khelbhaskar's Point
The match will be played on Pitch No. 5 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium — located in the center, ensuring no significant shorter boundary. Expect a dry, slow track aiding spinners early on. With Delhi experiencing temperatures over 40°C during the day, fitness and endurance will be tested, although evenings will be slightly cooler. Dew is expected to make chasing easier later in the evening.