A run-fest is on the cards as Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host Match 16 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday.

DC started their campaign with a Super Over-win against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) before adding one more win to their account, beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the next game. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) halted their winning run. Talking about KKR, they lost their first game of the season against Mumbai Indians (MI). But the Dinesh Karthik-led unit bounced back in style, registering two wins on the bounce against SRH and Rajasthan Royals (RR).

While Delhi Capitals appear to be highly over-reliant on their middle-order, it is their top-order that is making the difference. In the previous match as well, the untimely dismissals of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, and Prithvi Shaw pushed their middle-order on the back-foot. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, and Shimron Hetmyer could not play the waiting game and perished while trying to go for glory a little too early.

Rishabh Pant, in fact, has been a lot more cautious at the beginning, which is not his natural game. Although Pant as well as the other players have all contributed for the Capitals, they have lacked consistency. Shimron Hetmyer, however, has looked clueless on all occasions and this might be his last chance to perform before the Capitals start looking at their other options.

One area where the Capitals have been brilliant is certainly their bowling attack. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje have been brilliant, regardless of the time they've been asked to bowl. They both have picked up wickets in the early overs as well as at death. The addition of Ishant Sharma is certainly a welcome change that adds to the experience in their bowling attack. Never-aging Amit Mishra has looked as good as ever but could take a beating on a ground that has short boundaries. Given the number of left-handers Kolkata Knight Riders have, we expect Shreyas Iyer to use Marcus Stoinis more than Axar Patel.

On paper, Delhi Capitals is a terrific side. However, they have so far lacked consistency and application. They have been a bit over-circumspect at times, but given their fragile lower middle-order, it seems to be paying off. Considering the bowling attack that DC have, they are one of the very few teams that can bowl successfully at Sharjah Cricket Ground.

Kolkata Knight Riders' win over Rajasthan Royals came largely because of the fantastic contingent of the Indian bowlers. Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Varun Chakravarthi were all brilliant in not only keeping the Royals' top-order quiet but also chipping away at the wickets.

The Knight Riders' experiment of opening with Sunil Narine that worked so well over the past few overs doesn't seem to be working any longer. There could be a change at the top coming, but given the short boundaries that Sharjah Cricket Ground has, Narine might just get another go at the top.

Shubman Gill has looked in complete control, be it while milking singles or going for big hits. Coming in at one-drop, Nitish Rana has perhaps appeared to be in form of his life, but batting for a longer period is what he will be looking for in the upcoming match.

The biggest disappointment so far for the Knight Riders is their skippers' form. In order to play the maximum number of deliveries and provide depth to his team's batting lineup, Dinesh Karthik promoted himself to the number-four slot, but the move has worked so far. With the likes of Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell both in fine form, we might see Dinesh Karthik come in a little late to bat if the situation demands so. As far as captaincy is concerned, Dinesh Karthik has been close to perfect.

With an excellent amalgamation of accumulators and hard-hitters, Kolkata Knight Riders seem to be one of the most well-balanced sides in the tournament. With Pat Cummins available to bat at number seven, Kolkata Knight Riders have a batting lineup that goes deep. Their bowling, as well, seems to be doing well but will have a huge test at Sharjah Cricket Ground. KKR depends heavily on their lower middle-order to score the bulk of the runs quickly. There are not many players in the world that match the six-hitting abilities of Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan. Considering the form they both and the other players are in, beating Kolkata Knight Riders is certainly going to take some effort.

Weather Forecast
It's going to be a sunny day with no chances of rain playing spoilsport for the DC vs KKR IPL 2020 opener. The highest temperature will be around 38 degrees while the minimum temperature will be around 28 degrees and humidity in the mid-60s. The wind speed will be about 20 kmph.

Pitch Report
The pitch will favour the batsman compared to the bowlers and with the short boundaries at Sharjah, sixes could galore. Short boundaries and the dew factor means that setting a total is an incredibly difficult task here and defending isn't going to be easy.

Toss Prediction
No total is safe to defend here and the team batting first should be looking to put a total of at least 200 runs on the board. We expect the captain winning the toss to field first.

Stats and Facts
Head to head: Matches Played: 25
Kolkata Knight Riders: 13
Delhi Capitals: 11
No Result: 1

Approaching Milestones:
Amit Mishra requires 1 wicket to complete 100 IPL wickets for Delhi franchise.
Rishabh Pant needs 4 sixes for 100 IPL sixes.
Andre Russell needs 65 runs to complete 1500 IPL runs.
Dinesh Karthik needs 39 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs as captain.

Likely XIs:
Likely XIs Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy

Players to Watch Out For:
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Kagiso Rabada
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Match Odds:
Delhi Capitals: 1.80
Kolkata Knight Riders: 2.00

SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds
Mumbai Indians - 4.5
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 5.5
Delhi Capitals - 6
Kolkata Knight Riders - 6.5
Rajasthan Royals - 7.5
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 8
Chennai Super Kings - 10
Kings XI Punjab - 15

Match Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium - Sharjah, UAE
Time: 7.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP