New Delhi: As the sun blazed down on the Ferozeshah Kotla ground with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius, a handful of Delhi Capitals fans observed the spin bowling duo of Kolkata Knight Riders, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, practicing for almost an hour under the supervision of spin bowling coach Carl Crowe.

They aimed to target the markers on the good length and full length areas. Both bowlers frequently missed, but when Chakravarthy hit the right length, his carrom ball sent the middle stump flying. Narine then knocked over the off-stump, and suddenly the spinners seemed to find their rhythm. For these crucial members of KKR’s bowling lineup still in search of their peak performance this IPL season, it likely provided a boost of confidence before Tuesday’s encounter against DC.

Interpreting a pitch that has been consistent yet slow for the last two weeks can pose challenges. The initial match featured a score of 205, followed by a 188-run match resolved by a Super Over.

On Sunday night, DC faced a setback on a sticky surface, limited by Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a total of 162. This would not pose a challenge for Virat Kohli, who led the chase alongside Krunal Pandya.

DC decided against practicing on Monday. Defeating the struggling defending champions will be crucial for DC as the playoff race intensifies. With only three wins from nine matches and seven points, KKR is barely managing to stay afloat. A defeat on Tuesday would harm their chances of finishing in the top four.

The stakes for DC, currently at 12 points, are not overly high yet, but with Mumbai Indians enjoying a five-match winning streak, Axar Patel’s team, after three losses in the last five games, will be eager to secure a victory.

KKR pacer Harshit Rana, who competes in domestic cricket for Delhi, expressed confidence in their spinners. “We anticipate that the pitch will have low bounce, as is typical at Kotla. Last night, the slower deliveries were gripping and RCB bowlers capitalized on that. We aim to assess the pitch accurately and leverage the conditions,” he stated.

Evaluating the pitch will also be a priority for DC.

“Against KKR, I’m hoping the wicket won’t resemble the one we encountered tonight,” DC mentor Kevin Pietersen remarked on Sunday night following the six-wicket defeat. “We haven’t yet achieved our ideal performance, so I don’t believe it’s the pitch that requires our focus. ”

Later that evening, the match surface was thoroughly rolled, which should assist in maintaining the integrity of the surface and provide more consistent bounce.

“I don’t believe pitches have produced much turn thus far,” Rana commented. “Nevertheless, our primary two spinners have performed well, especially during the middle overs. Even in the last game (at Eden Gardens), they (Punjab Kings) had the potential to score heavily, but the spinners managed to control the innings. ”

PBKS scored 201 before rain forced the teams to share a point each. The combined figures for KKR spinners in that match read 8-0-74-1, though the economy (9.25) was less than the rate at which the innings went (10.05 runs/over).

Gambhir aura absent

Rana said KKR did feel the absence of the “thrill” and “aura” that former mentor Gautam Gambhir brought, who motivated them to the 2024 title. Gambhir departed to assume the role of India head coach last July and has been succeeded by Dwayne Bravo. Abhishek Nayar has come back to KKR as assistant coach after being dismissed from his role as India batting coach. Chandrakant Pandit continues to serve as the head coach.

“The support staff is essentially unchanged, and even Nayar bhai has returned. However, there was a thrill factor that I miss a little – speaking just for myself. That said, we are creating the kind of environment we desire within the team,” Rana stated.

“Having Nayar back is excellent because he has a keen insight into reading the game. The Indian core is familiar with him since he has developed them.

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