IPL 2021, Qualifier 2: Kolkata Knight Riders elect to field
Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders are locking horns in the Qualifier 2 of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is hosting the season's penultimate clash. Notably, the winners of this match will face Chennai Super Kings in the grand finale. The news from the center is that Eoin Morgan has won the toss and elected to field.
Key details about the match
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is playing host to the Qualifier 2. It will begin at 7:30 PM IST. The scoring on this venue gets difficult in the middle overs. Six of the last nine games here have been won by teams batting second. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Here is the head-to-head record
Kolkata have performed slightly better than Delhi as far as the IPL head-to-head record is concerned. In 27 games, KKR have managed to win 15 with a win percentage of 55.56. On the other hand, Delhi have earned 12 victories against KKR with a win percentage of 44.44. Both sides have beaten each other once in the ongoing season.
IPL 2021: Decoding the playoffs scenario
CSK beat DC in the Qualifier 1 to reach the final of IPL 2021. Meanwhile, KKR defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator. The Yellow Army now await the winner of Qualifier 2. DC have an opportunity to enter their second consecutive final.
Here are the two teams
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicket-keeper), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (captain), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy
Marcus Stoinis returns to the DC XI
KKR haven't made any changes to their Playing XI. Star all-rounder Andre Russell is still sitting out. Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis has rejoined the DC XI. The Australian all-rounder, who missed several matches in the UAE leg due to an injury, has replaced all-rounder Tom Curran. His inclusion sets the combination of DC right. Stoinis was a key player for them in the previous season.
