Preview: KKR find themselves in a precarious position, with just three wins and five defeats from eight matches. They suffered a 39-run loss against the Gujarat Titans at home earlier this week. The form of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh is hurting the defending champions. Another defeat would significantly reduce their chances of reaching the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings are just outside the top four on the points table. They have five wins and three defeats after playing eight matches. They suffered a seven-wicket loss in Mullanpur in their most recent fixture, which was against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer had a blistering start to IPL 2025, but his form has dipped over the last few games. The Mumbai batter will look to get back among the runs and lead his team from the front on Saturday. These two teams played a low-scoring thriller earlier in the season in Mullanpur. PBKS defended a target of 112, winning by 16 runs. This is the lowest total successfully defended in IPL history.
Indian Premier League 2025, 44th Match, KKR vs PBKS
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: Saturday, April 26, 7:30 PM
Pitch Report: The Eden Gardens has been an excellent venue for batting, especially in recent years. The average first-innings score this season, after four games, has been around 202. Three out of the four matches have been won by teams batting first. Winning the toss and opting to bat could be a good ploy. Posting a solid total and applying scoreboard pressure on the opposition in the second innings could prove fruitful.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Punjab Kings (PBKS): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Josh Inglis (WK), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh.
