Last Updated on 3 weeks by Charbel Coorey

It’s must-win territory for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 48th match of IPL 2025. KKR’s washout against Punjab Kings on Saturday left them in a more precarious position, likely needing to win all their remaining games to have a realistic shot at qualifying for the playoffs.

KKR need consistency. They have been up and down all season, mixing good moments with bad. That was on show against PBKS, fighting back well in their bowling effort to keep the Kings to 201/4 when a bigger total looked likely.

Now, they travel to Delhi to face the Delhi Capitals (DC) who are looking for their own bounceback. DC had visions of beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, but they weren’t able to execute in the key moments. The defeat has left them looking over their shoulder, with PBKS, LSG and KKR looking to take their spot.

On a tricky pitch, DC couldn’t quite get going in their batting innings with Tristan Stubbs providing some impetus. How they cope with the KKR spinners here will be key. Also, whether the DC attack can make early inroads will make for interesting viewing. The same applies to KKR, who will want their spinners to put pressure on DC’s middle order.

In this article, we will look at the possible playing XIIs, Delhi pitch report, fantasy cricket tips and Dream11 Prediction for the 48th match of IPL 2025.

IPL 2025 48th Match: DC vs KKR Possible Playing XIIs

DC could stick with the same team that lost to RCB.

Delhi Capitals: 1. Abishek Porel, 2. Faf du Plessis, 3. Karun Nair, 4. KL Rahul (wk), 5. Axar Patel (c), 6. Tristan Stubbs, 7. Ashutosh Sharma, 8. Vipraj Nigam, 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Dushmantha Chameera, 11. Kuldeep Yadav, 12. Mukesh Kumar

KKR could also stick with the same team.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2. Sunil Narine, 3. Venkatesh Iyer, 4. Ajinkya Rahane (c), 5. Rovman Powell, 6. Andre Russell, 7. Rinku Singh, 8. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 9. Vaibhav Arora, 10. Harshit Rana, 11. Varun Chakravarthy, 12. Chetan Sakariya

Arun Jaitley Stadium Delhi Pitch Report and Weather

It was a tricky batting pitch in the DC-RCB game over the weekend. Variations were key, with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and Axar Patel performing well.

Delhi has been a true batting pitch dating back to last season. Earlier in IPL 2025, MI hit 205/5 and beat DC by 12 runs. A few days later, DC and RR played out a 188 vs 188 classic. Expect a score around 180 here with spinners and cutters the key.

A warm and clear evening is forecast with dew a possibility.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for DC vs KKR: Top Picks/Key Players to Watch

Top wicket-keeper picks:

• KL Rahul is DC’s top run-scorer this season with 364 at an average of 60.66 and strike rate of 146.18. He has solid career numbers against KKR: 515 runs, avg. 39.62, SR 137.33, including 114 runs off 85 balls (two wickets) against Sunil Narine in the IPL.
• Abishek Porel is having a solid season at the top. He has made scores of 33, 49, 18, 51 and 28 in his past five matches.

Key batter picks:

• Ajinkya Rahane has been a shining light for KKR. The skipper is their top run-scorer this season with 271 at an average of 38.71 and strike rate of 146.48, with three fifties in eight innings.
• Tristan Stubbs has been in fine form and is one of DC’s key middle and death overs batters. His 217 runs this season come at an average of 54.25 and strike rate of 164.39.

Top all-rounder picks:

• Axar Patel is a must. Although he has just three wickets in nine games this season, Axar plays a key role with the bat which has contributed to his 591 Dream11 points in IPL 2025.
• Sunil Narine should enjoy bowling on a Delhi track that may aid spin. He is the top wicket-taker in DC-KKR matches with 27 at an average of 22.67 and economy of 6.73.

Key bowler picks:

• Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav will be crucial with their ability to spin the ball either way. Chakravarthy has 11 wickets this season, while Kuldeep is slightly ahead with 12. Both are conceding less than seven runs per over in IPL 2025.
• Mitchell Starc has taken just three wickets in his past six matches. But, he bowls the powerplay and crunch overs which can fetch fantasy points.
• Consider KKR seamers Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana. They both have 11 wickets this season, striking every 16.09 and 15.81 deliveries respectively. Harshit has taken five wickets in both the powerplay and middle overs. Arora has taken three in the powerplay and five at the death.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Teams

• Faf du Plessis struggled to find his rhythm against RCB but he can go big. Since the start of 2024, du Plessis has scored 1,891 runs in all T20s at an average of 33.8 and strike rate of 151.4.
• Andre Russell has strong head-to-head numbers against Mitchell Starc (see below). He can fetch fantasy points with his finishing. In fact, he has smashed 375 runs against Delhi at an average of 37.50 and strike rate of 172.81. He also has 15 wickets.

Other Stats and Important Matchups

• Head-to-head: Matches 35, DC 16, KKR 18.
• Both teams have won five games against each other on this ground.
• Varun Chakravarthy vs KL Rahul: 46 balls, 45 runs, one wicket.
• Axar Patel vs Ajinkya Rahane: 66 balls, 84 runs, one wicket.
• Mitchell Starc vs Ajinkya Rahane in all T20s: 29 balls, 32 runs, one wicket.
• Mitchell Starc vs Andre Russell in all T20s: 23 balls, 55 runs, no wickets.

IPL 2025 48th Match: DC vs KKR Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

IPL 2025 48th Match: DC vs KKR Match Prediction – Who will win?

Holding nerves will be key. DC have performed better as a unit and I’ll back them to win this game.