Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals Cricket. T20. India. IPL Prediction 24 May 2026

On May 24 at 19:30 IST, “Kolkata Knight Riders” will play against “Delhi Capitals” at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The hosts have pushed themselves back into the playoff discussion with a strong late run, including wins over “Gujarat Titans” and “Mumbai Indians”. “Delhi Capitals” have also won three of their last five matches, but their recent defeat to this same opponent was one-sided enough to influence the forecast.

This game is likely to be decided by the first half of the chase rather than only by the death overs. “Kolkata Knight Riders” have been getting better value from their top order, while Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy give them a clear method for slowing the middle overs at Eden Gardens. “Delhi Capitals” have match-winners in KL Rahul, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel and Mitchell Starc, but their batting has been less reliable when spin starts dictating tempo.

“Kolkata Knight Riders” have turned their season around late. Four wins in their last five completed matches show a team that has finally found a working shape. The 247/2 against “Gujarat Titans” proved how dangerous the top order can be when Finn Allen and Angkrish Raghuvanshi settle early, while the win over “Mumbai Indians” showed that the side can also handle a lower-scoring chase under pressure.

The home surface also fits their strongest weapons. Narine and Chakaravarthy can attack the middle overs without needing constant pace, and that matters against a Delhi lineup that has had uneven scoring phases. Kolkata still have some bowling risk if the pitch stays flat, but their recent match control has improved enough to make them more convincing before this fixture.

“Delhi Capitals” have recovered some ground with wins over “Rajasthan Royals” and “Punjab Kings”, but their form is not clean. The batting produced strong chases in those games, then struggled badly against “Kolkata Knight Riders” earlier in May, when 142/8 was never enough. That contrast makes the visitors difficult to trust away from home.

The squad still has enough quality to challenge Kolkata. KL Rahul gives the innings experience, Sameer Rizvi has already produced important runs this season, and Starc can change the match with the new ball. The problem is balance. If Delhi lose early wickets, too much pressure moves onto Axar Patel and the lower middle order. Against Kolkata’s spin pair, that can quickly reduce scoring options.

Ajinkya Rahane, Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani.

KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Lungi Ngidi.

For “Kolkata Knight Riders”, Matheesha Pathirana remains the main player whose condition should be checked after his recent fitness concern. There is no confirmed final absence in the expected playing group before the match.

For “Delhi Capitals”, there is no confirmed fresh major absence in the expected playing group. The final balance between overseas pace and batting depth should be checked closer to the toss.

The most accurate information on the lineups will be available on match day.

“Kolkata Knight Riders”