4.6 overs (1 Run) A tad short, around off. Shikhar Dhawan stays back and pushes it to long on for a run. Just 2 runs and a wicket off the over!
4.5 overs (0 Run) Tossed up, around off. Shikhar Dhawan defends it out off the front foot.
4.4 overs (1 Run) Quicker ball, around middle and leg. Marcus Stoinis tucks it to the leg side to get off the mark with a single.
4.3 overs (0 Run) Flatter ball, around off. Marcus Stoinis works it to mid off, off the back foot.
4.2 overs (0 Run) Flatter ball, on off. Marcus Stoinis punches it to cover.
Marcus Stoinis walks out to bat now. It has been a while since he walked out on the field.
4.1 overs (0 Run) OUT! LBW! Varun Chakravarthy strikes on his first ball and gets the much-needed breakthrough for Kolkata. A googly, around off, turning in sharply. Prithvi Shaw prods to block this one but he misses and gets rapped in front. Varun Chakravarthy puts in an appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Shaw has a word with Dhawan but does not review it. The replay shows that he is plumb and that was a good decision by the umpire.
Change. Varun Chakravarthy comes in the attack now.
3.6 overs (0 Run) Full and on middle. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Delhi have been on the attack against the spinners. Narine gives away 14 runs off his first over.
3.5 overs (1 Run) Flatter and on the pads. Shaw clips it to mid-wicket for a single.
3.4 overs (1 Run) Floated, full and outside off. Dhawan pushes it through covers for a single.
3.3 overs (6 Runs) SIX! Back-to-back maximums. Dhawan is in his groove now. Tossed up, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and slog-sweeps it over the square leg fence.
3.2 overs (6 Runs) SIX! BOOM! Dhawan capitalizes on the full toss. Full toss, on off. Dhawan gets on one knee and powers it over the square leg fence for a maximum.
3.1 overs (0 Run) CLOSE! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dhawan looks to drive it away but misses.
Change. Sunil Narine comes on now.
2.6 overs (0 Run) A dot to end the over! Full and on off. Shaw gets low and sweeps it to square leg but there is a man there. A good over for Delhi and they get 12 runs off it.
2.5 overs (1 Run) Finally Dhawan is off the mark. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan gets low and sweeps it through square leg for a single.
2.4 overs (1 Run) On off, pushed to mid off for a single.
2.3 overs (0 Run) Full and on off. Shaw sweeps it to square leg.
2.2 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! SMACKED! Flatter and outside off. Shaw hangs back and cuts it past point for a boundary.
2.1 overs (6 Runs) SIX! BANG! Shaw gets the first maximum of the game. At the other end, Dhawan is struggling but here, Shaw continues on his merry way. Tossed up, on middle. Shaw comes down the track and smokes it over the wide long on fence.
1.6 overs (0 Run) Dhawan's struggle continues. A length ball, around off. The ball nips in. Dhawan hangs back and looks to defend it out but misses. He gets rapped on the pads. Ferguson appeals but the umpire is unmoved. Going down leg probably.
1.5 overs (0 Run) Swing and a miss! Dhawan is struggling here. He is yet to get off the mark. Good length and outside off. Dhawan skips down the track and looks to cut it away but misses. The ball bounces over the blade.
1.4 overs (0 Run) BEATEN! Beautifully bowled by Lockie Ferguson. Good-length ball, outside off. Dhawan hangs back and looks to push it away but misses. The ball beats the outside edge.
1.3 overs (1 Run) A single now! A length ball, on the pads. Shaw tucks it to mid-wicket and gets a single.
1.2 overs (0 Run) BEATEN! Good reply by Lockie Ferguson. A length ball, outside off. The ball nips in a bit. Shaw hops and looks to push it to the off side but misses.
1.1 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Shaw gets the first boundary of the game with a glorious drive. Full length and outside off. Shaw leans into it and carves it through covers for a boundary.
Who will start from the other end? Time for some pace as Lockie Ferguson is set to steam in.
0.6 over (0 Run) Make it 4. What a start by Shakib Al Hasan. Floated, full and on off. Dhawan defends it back to the bowler. Just 1 run off the over.
0.5 over (0 Run) Full and on off. Dhawan defends it onto the pitch. Three dots on the trot now!
0.4 over (0 Run) Flatter and on middle. Dhawan defends it to mid-wicket.
0.3 over (0 Run) Loopy ball, on off. Dhawan defends it to short mid-wicket.
0.2 over (1 Run) Shaw and Delhi are off the mark. Slightly short and outside off. Shaw stays on the back foot and cuts it to the left of point. Nitish Rana there dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters cross.
0.1 over (0 Run) Flatter and short, outside off. Shaw cuts it to point.
We are set for the clash! The umpires stride out to the middle. Eoin Morgan leads his side on the field. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walk out to bat for Delhi. Dinesh Karthik has his helmet on and is standing up as Shakib Al Hasan is going to start with the ball. Here we go...
Rishabh Pant, the skipper of Delhi, says that they would have bowled first too but there is no point in thinking over the toss too much. Informs Marcus Stoinis comes in for Tom Curran. Ends by saying that the players are in the right frame of mind and hopes that the guys enjoy out on the field.
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of Kolkata, says that they will bowl first. Mentions they have played a couple of games in Sharjah and that has worked for them before. Adds, there are no changes to the side. Also says, he hopes there is a bit of an advantage with them, but against this Delhi side, it should be a test. Mentions in the UAE leg, his players have played with fire and have put on a great show.
Kolkata (Unchanged Playing XI) - Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.
Delhi (Playing XI) - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Marcus Stoinis (In for Tom Curran), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.
TOSS UPDATE - Eoin Morgan and Rishabh Pant are at the middle for the all-important toss. The coin lands in favour of Morgan and Kolkata have elected to BOWL first.
PITCH REPORT - Ian Bishop is down for the pitch report. He says that it is very pleasant and cool out there. Adds that the highest score on this surface is 156 and it was made by Bangalore, but teams after that have not been able to cross 132. Matthew Hayden says that batting here should be a mix of playing fearlessly and sensibly. Adds that scoring 50 runs in the Powerplay is what the batters should target. Says that spinners will play a big role in this game and it will get challenging to score runs once the ball gets old.
Kolkata have been the comeback kings of the season and they are familiar with the Sharjah conditions, as they ended Bangalore's hunt in the Eliminator. Kolkata have also won all the games while chasing in UAE and would likely hope to repeat that if they chase here again. In their last game, Sunil Narine was back to his best form and caused a lot of trouble to the opposition with both the bat and the ball. Also, on paper, it looks like they have a deep batting lineup, which was seen in their last game when Shakib Al Hasan and Eoin Morgan kept their calm and got Kolkata over the line.
Delhi reached the finals for the first time last season in 2020. But they could not get over the line against Mumbai. Although, they have been a dominant side in this season of the Indian T20 League. They topped the league stage with 20 points and would be eager to move an inch closer to their maiden trophy win. Although, Delhi are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats. They still remain a very strong team.
Hello and a warm welcome to all! It is time for Qualifier 2 in the Indian T20 League. In this game, Delhi will be locking horns against Kolkata. With Qualifier 2 comes the pressure and the fear of not being able to notch the last ticket to the final. Delhi had an opportunity to make it to the finale but they slipped against Chennai which is why they feature in this game. Kolkata, on the other hand, have certainly revived in the UAE leg of the competition. No one would have thought they would make it so far, but they have beaten all the odds. This game should be no less than a cracker. Stay tuned for toss and team updates.
... MATCH DAY ...
Follow the Indian Premier League 2021 live cricket score on Sports.NDTV.com. After 5.1 overs, Delhi Capitals are 35/1. Get live score, ball by ball commentary and much more. Keep track of Indian Premier League 2021 today match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals. Everything related to Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals match will be available on Sports.NDTV.com. Stay updated with Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals live score. Do check for Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals scorecard. You can get scorecard updates, match related facts. Get quick live updates with ads, Sports.NDTV.com, which is the perfect destination for live cricket score.