IPL 2018, Match 13, KKR vs DD - Delhi Daredevils Predicted XI

The Delhi Daredevils finally got to the winning ways in the 2018 edition of the IPL. They registered a close win against the Mumbai Indians in their most recent encounter to get their first points on the board. Now, they are set to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in yet another away game this season. While the Daredevils will enter the contest riding on the winning momentum, the Knight Riders will be down on confidence having lost their last two matches.

The Knight Riders lost against the Delhi Daredevils in their most recent game. Also, they had lost against the Chennai Super Kings in the game that they played earlier. Now, they will be hoping to get back to the winning ways by beating the Delhi Daredevils at home. It will be tough but they would certainly back themselves to do so. The track at the Eden Gardens promises to be a good one yet again and expect a run feast on the cards.

For the visitors, it is very important to stay on the winning track. Over the recent years, they have perennially struggled to strike consistency. This has been the major reason why they have failed to make it to the playoffs since the 2012 edition of the tournament. The team management would be totally aware of this fact and hence, will try to putforth the best possible playing combination for the match against the Knight Riders.

Here is the Delhi Daredevils Predicted XI for the match:

Openers (Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy)

The opening woes for the Delhi Daredevils finally got a fitting solution in the previous game. They have found a very able batsman in Jason Roy in the opening role. Roy missed out on the first two games but was roped in to play the previous game at the expense of Colin Munro.

Roy smashed an unbeaten 91 to guide Delhi to their first win. Roy will be joined by skipper Gautam Gambhir in the opening slot. Gambhir has been in a fine form in the recent times. He already has a fifty this season and is also the record holder for most number of fifties in the IPL history.

Middle-Order (Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Rishabh Pant)

The middle-order clicked very well for the doubles Ds in the previous game. Young Rishabh Pant is one of the most talented young cricketers in the country. After a short cameo in the first game against the Kings XI Punjab, Pant came up with an improved performance of 47 in the previous fixture against the Mumbai Indians.

Also, Shreyas Iyer played a handy knock of 27 off 20 deliveries in the previous game. Iyer had failed in the two matches that had preceded the game against the defending champions. He desperately needed some time at the crease and he rightly got it recently. He would hope to get better from here on.

In addition to the Indian duo, the Daredevils also have Glenn Maxwell in the lineup. Maxwell is yet to live up to his name in the season. He has had a couple of good starts in the two matches that he has played but has struggled against the spinners.

All-rounders (Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian)

Vijay Shankar is expected to retain his place in the playing eleven for the game against the Knights. He is a highly experienced campaigner in the domestic circuit. He is yet to justify his claims in the IPL though. He can be a handy batsman in the lower middle order who can also chip in with crucial overs in the game.

The other all-rounder slot in the playing eleven can be filled either by Chris Morris or Dan Christian. Considering the fact that Morris has largely been out of form, it is very much likely that Christian will retain his place in the side. He picked a couple of wickets in the previous game.

Spinners (Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Tewatia)

The Delhi camp are likely to stick to their spin bowling combinations as well. Veteran left arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has been doing a decent job with the ball. Albeit he was slightly expensive in the previous game, the fact that Nadeem can also bowl in the powerplays make him a valuable asset in the team.

He is likely to be accompanied by Rahul Tewatia in the spin department. Tewatia can also be used as a pinch hitter by the team. In the first game, he was promoted in the middle order and that indicates the plans that the management has for him this season.

Pace bowlers (Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami)

The pace bowling department looks pretty settled for the Delhi Daredevils. They have persisted with their new ball duo of Trent Boult and Mohammed Shami. Skipper Gautam Gambhir has been very vocal about his admiration of the Kiwi pacer. Gambhir reckons that Boult is the best left arm seamer in the competition. Boult would wish to live up to the big expectation.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami has also been a little off color this season thus far. He has failed to contain the run flow in the matches that he has played thus far. In the previous game, he got only just one wicket. He would be keen on getting more wickets in the season.

Here’s DD Predicted XI against KKR

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