Kolkata take on points-leaders Delhi at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday, October 24, hoping to rebound from a ghastly performance that saw them sent out for a measly 84 runs en route to an eventual defeat at the hands of Bangalore. While the outcome saw Bangalore shoot to second on the points table, it put Kolkata on the precipice of the all-important top four.
|
Team |
Matches |
Wins |
Tied |
Win % |
|
Kolkata |
24 |
13 |
1 |
54.17 |
|
Delhi |
24 |
10 |
1 |
41.67 |
While Kolkata statistically hold an edge over Delhi as per the above table, having come out at the winning end in 13 of the 24 matches played against them – win percentage of 54.17 – in 2020, it is definitely Delhi who hold the cards while Kolkata flounder.
Delhi’s quest for a third pacer
Although Delhi have one of the best attacks this season, with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje combining for 33 wickets, they are yet to find a third pace bowler to support Rabada and Nortje. Delhi have played nine pacers in Indian T20 League 2020, joint-most by a side this season.
| Delhi pacers in Indian T20 League 2020 (except Rabada and Nortje) | ||||||
| Players | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Runs | Average | Economy |
| Marcus Stoinis | 10 | 7 | 6 | 169 | 28.17 | 10.14 |
| Harshal Patel | 4 | 4 | 3 | 126 | 42 | 9 |
| Tushar Deshpande | 3 | 3 | 3 | 117 | 39 | 11.7 |
| Mohit Sharma | 1 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 45 | 11.25 |
| Daniel Sams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | - | 7.5 |
| Ishant Sharma | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | - | 8.67 |
| Avesh Khan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | - | 10.5 |
Marcus Stoinis is their most effective third pacer, having taken six wickets but other than the match against Kolkata, he did not bowl out in any of the matches. Also, they had to let go of one of their most experienced pace bowlers in Ishant Sharma due to injury while Avesh Khan was tried in a match as well as Daniel Sams, neither proving impressive.
Harshal Patel and Tushar Deshpande were the only two pacers who were given three or more matches and Delhi have to choose between them as their third pacer as there's no room to slip up now. Harshal Patel picked up three wickets while his economy is best amongst himself, Stoinis and Deshpande while Tushar Deshpande was impressive in the first two matches, picking up three wickets but was taken to the cleaners by Punjab batting, giving away 41 runs in his two overs.
Players to watch out for:
Delhi – Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw started the season in fine form, scoring 179 in the first five matches at an average of 35.8. He had three 30+ scores with two half-centuries, and with Shikhar Dhawan yet to fire at the time, Shaw didn’t let it affect Delhi because of his fine form.
| Shaw | Runs | Average | S/R |
| First five matches | 179 | 35.8 | 147.93 |
| Last five matches | 30 | 6 | 111.11 |
However, Shaw has struggled for form in the last five matches, scoring just 30 runs and his terrible run is highlighted by the fact that he has four single-digit scores in each of his last four matches. His struggle stems from his inability to deal with fast bowlers, who have dismissed him in nine out of 10 innings With Kolkata being the worst fast bowling side in Indian T20 League 2020 and against whom Shaw scored his highest score of the ongoing season, he is definitely one to watch in this contest.
Kolkata – Lockie Ferguson
While Kolkata's pacers have definitely struggled this season, Lockie Ferguson has been an exception. Overall, Kolkata's fast bowlers have an economy of 8.73 - only two teams have a worse economy rate this season. In the last five matches, Kolkata's fast bowlers have picked up just 12 wickets at an average of 45.75.
While their highest wicket taker is Mavi with seven wickets, the performances of Ferguson since being given a chance stand to boost their fast bowling attack. Ferguson proved to be Kolkata's match-winner against Hyderabad, taking three for 15 to help tie the match and then took two wickets in the Super Over, conceding just two runs. Against Bangalore, Ferguson took the only wicket that fell, conceding just 17 runs in four overs and was once again the most economical bowler for his side. In the last two matches, Ferguson has comfortably out-bowled every Kolkata fast bowler and will once again be the key man against Delhi.
Stats to watch out for:
1: Sixes Pant needs to reach 100 maximums.
1: Rahane, if he plays, will start his 200th T20 Match.
2: Wickets Harshal Patel needs to reach 100 wickets.
8: Runs Russell needs to reach 1500 runs.
42: Iyer’s average vs Kolkata, his best against any current opponent in the league.
Writer's pick
Delhi have, for the most part, been in red-hot form this Indian T20 League 2020, emerging as a legitimate contender to fight it out to the final. Kolkata, on the other hand, have struggled mightily while picking up a few fortunate wins along the way that have them hanging on to top four by a thread. Barring another freak outcome, Delhi are the favourites to come out on top against Kolkata in this encounter.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar
