Toss & Conditions

Friday uses the first evening pitch at this venue in the tournament, after two day matches here. Both earlier games were won by the chasing side, and the toss-winning team might still prefer to chase for a 7.30pm start.

Head-to-Head

KKR have won the last three meetings against DC. In the most recent clash, KKR defended a total successfully and won by 14 runs despite DC reaching 190/9. That game still went KKR’s way because they scored 204/9 and stayed ahead on the scoreboard. The broader pattern is one-way: DC are 0-3 in the last three head-to-heads.

DCDelhi Capitals 190/9

KKKolkata Knight Riders 204/9

2025-04-29 · KKR won by 14 runs

KKKolkata Knight Riders 157/3

DCDelhi Capitals 153/9

2024-04-29 · KKR won by 7 wickets (with 21 balls remaining)

DCDelhi Capitals 166/10

KKKolkata Knight Riders 272/7

2024-04-03 · KKR won by 106 runs

Delhi Capitals

DC are seventh in the IPL regular season with 8 points, currently outside the playoff zone. Their recent run is 1 win in the last 3, including a heavy defeat where they were bowled out for 75 and lost by 9 wickets with 81 balls remaining. They did respond with a high-scoring chase win over Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets with 5 balls remaining.

DCDelhi Capitals 155/7

CSChennai Super Kings 159/2

2026-05-05 · CSK won by 8 wickets (with 15 balls remaining)

DCDelhi Capitals 226/3

RRRajasthan Royals 225/6

2026-05-01 · DC won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

DCDelhi Capitals 75/10

RCRoyal Challengers Bengaluru 77/1

2026-04-27 · RCB won by 9 wickets (with 81 balls remaining)

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR are eighth in the IPL regular season with 7 points, currently outside the playoff zone. They have won their last three matches, including a tied game against Lucknow Super Giants that they won in the Super Over. Their latest win was a 7-wicket chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad with 10 balls remaining.

KKKolkata Knight Riders 169/3

SRSunrisers Hyderabad 165/10

2026-05-03 · KKR won by 7 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)

KKKolkata Knight Riders 155/7

LSLucknow Super Giants 155/8

2026-04-26 · Match tied (KKR won the Super Over)

KKKolkata Knight Riders 161/6

RRRajasthan Royals 155/9

2026-04-19 · KKR won by 4 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)

Playing XI

News & Facts

Key Stats

Verdict

Models are split but lean KKR, with the model average at DC 46% vs KKR 54% and a wide range across systems. Bookmakers are more cautious, showing near parity at DC 51% (1.90) vs KKR 49% (1.91). Key stats favour KKR 6-2, driven by their 3-0 edge in the last three head-to-heads and a 100% win rate across their last three matches. The match narrative hinges on whether DC’s middle order can hold up against Narine and Varun, and whether KKR’s recent momentum carries into Delhi.

Allen detonates the chase

Finn Allen didn’t just win the chase — he erased the tension in a single, brutal passage. After Kolkata Knight Riders slipped to 43/2, Allen’s clean striking flipped the night on its head, and his 100 off 47 carried KKR to 147/2 in 14.2 overs. Delhi Capitals had moments of control, but the match ended as a statement: KKR by 8 wickets with 34 balls unused.

Middle overs: DC’s stall

The game was effectively decided in Delhi’s middle overs, when their innings went from fluent to fragmented. DC raced to 55/1 in the powerplay, but then managed only 45/4 through the middle phase at 4.5 an over, repeatedly losing set batters and momentum. That squeeze meant 142 never became the kind of total that forces a chase to take risks, even if the late 42/3 at the death gave it a veneer of fight.

Allen, Green seal it

Allen was the headline, but Cameron Green’s role was just as decisive in context: he stayed composed while Allen attacked, and their unbeaten 117-run partnership ensured there was no second wobble. For Delhi, Pathum Nissanka’s 50 off 29 gave them lift early, yet once the middle overs tightened, even Ashutosh Sharma’s 39 couldn’t restore a par-plus total. KKR’s bowlers, led by Narine and backed by Kartik Tyagi’s 2/25, set up the platform Allen finished with force.

Narine-Varun question answered

Pre-match talk centred on whether DC’s middle order could survive the spin choke, and that’s exactly where the contest bent KKR’s way. Sunil Narine’s 4-0-17-1 was the tone-setter, keeping scoring options scarce and making every attempted release shot feel like a gamble. The other expectation — KKR’s recent momentum — showed up in how calmly they absorbed 43/2 and still kept the chase ahead of the rate.