TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsAs far as the standings on the points table go, there couldn’t have been a more contrasting encounter - Kolkata Knight Riders have won five and lost two, whereas Punjab Kings have just two wins from eight games.
While KKR have fired on all cylinders across departments, including raking out close wins, Punjab have hardly had a reason to cheer for. While KKR don’t seem allured by the idea of holding back, Punjab have done nothing but that. In all probability, the status quo would continue for the remainder of the tournament, but fans would bank on the ever-green unpredictability factor of the IPL to ensure the script in Eden Gardens undergoes a change on April 26 (Friday).
Can Punjab snap back their four-match losing streak and make some progress in the IPL? If the recent form is anything to go by, Gautam Gambhir’s strategy wouldn’t be easy to bypass.
KKR vs PBKS Head-to-Head
Overall - Games 32 | KKR 21 | PBKS 11
In Kolkata - Games 12 | KKR 9 | PBKS 3
Venue Details
There has never been an IPL like this. Runs have been scored like a regulation merchandise and things get even more impactful for batters during the chase. To be precise, the average first innings total at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in IPL 2024 is 204. The average first innings-winning score is 215 at this venue.
Pacers have taken 72% of the wickets here this season while spinners have maintained a slightly better economy rate at 9.3.
Historically, KKR have won close to 60% of their games played at the Eden Gardens, including three out of four games this season. PBKS, on the other hand, have won just 3 out of 12 games played at the venue.
Weather Forecast
It’s extremely hot and humid in Kolkata at the moment - with the temperature in the daytime soaring over 42 degrees. There is no precipitation chance during the match, though, and we can easily expect a full match.
Things to watch out for
Venkatesh Iyer needs to catch up pretty fast
Venkatesh Iyer has had a gigantic presence with the KKR in the last four years, but his returns in the IPL 2024 haven’t matched the expectations. Only once has he been able to cross the 20-run mark, scoring 89 runs in total in five matches.
The fact that he hasn’t had a weakness against any bowling type makes the concern more diabolical. While he has been dismissed in four out of five innings against pacers, he has struck at only 88 against spinners.
Given the way Phil Salt and Sunil Narine have performed for KKR in the ongoing season, Iyer’s lack of runs has been hidden. But for KKR to carry on the momentum and finish it in the top two, runs from Iyer will be the need of the hour.
Punjab can’t afford to waste their powerplay anymore
While openers have taken the IPL 2024 by storm everywhere else, the script has taken a total filip for Punjab, whose opening partnership has averaged just 32.5 - the third worst for a team this season.
As a result, PBKS have scored more than 40 runs only four times this season in the first six overs and they have the lowest powerplay score this season. Among teams, PBKS has a run rate of 7.8 and a boundary percentage of 66.5%, which is amongst the lowest this season. Can they do something magical against KKR? Nothing less than that would cut it.
Probable XIs
Shikhar Dhawan is all set to make a comeback in the KKR clash and that would mean Harpreet Singh Bhatia will make way for him.
PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Rilee Rossouw, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar (IP)
There may not be any change in KKR plans for this game after they sealed a one-run victory against RCB.
KKR: Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Rinku Singh (IP)
Telecast and streaming details
The match will be live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. The game will start at 7:30 PM, with the toss happening at 7 PM.
