IPL Match Today: KKR vs PBKS Toss, Pitch Report, Head to Head stats, Playing 11 Prediction and Live Streaming Details

KKR vs PBKS at Eden Gardens with Shreyas Iyer, Sam Curran and Ashutosh Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings IPL Match 2024: Punjab Kings face several challenges to address, but amidst the batsmen's dominance in IPL 2024, bowling prowess is not one of them.

PBKS stand out as the sole team yet to concede 200 or more runs in an innings, with 199 being the highest score against them on two occasions. Their bowling average of 24.94 leads all teams this season, closely followed by Kolkata Knight Riders at 25.47. Notably, PBKS have excelled in the death overs (17 to 20), claiming 23 wickets, the highest in IPL 2024, with an impressive average of 15.73 during this phase. They also rank as the third-most economical bowling unit, conceding runs at 8.98 per over.

However, as they step into the Eden Gardens arena, where the 200-run mark has been breached in three out of four matches, PBKS' batting shortcomings come into focus. They currently hold the second-slowest scoring rate in the league, with a strike rate of 137.31, coupled with the second-lowest batting average of 23.84. None of their batters have yet crossed the 200-run mark, contrasting with 24 other batters in the league achieving this milestone. Shashank Singh leads PBKS' scoring charts with 195 runs.

Facing the formidable challenge of KKR, who have proven themselves as a tough opponent both in batting and bowling this season, PBKS must aim for a higher total than they have managed thus far. They must rely on their bowlers to maintain their stellar performance, even in the daunting setting of KKR's home ground. It's worth noting that PBKS have only secured three victories out of 12 games at Eden Gardens, with just one win in their last eight encounters.

KKR vs PBKS Live Streaming Details

The IPL 2024 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings will be broadcasted live on the Star Sports Network. Viewers can also watch the live stream of the KKR vs PBKS IPL 2024 match on the JioCinema app and website.

KKR vs PBKS Toss

Batting friendly surface, high scoring games are what Eden Gardens offer to the contesting teams. It’s a night match so dew can be a factor for bowlers in the second innings. The team winning the toss would like to bowl first and chase a target avoiding the dew factor for its bowlers.

KKR vs PBKS Pitch Report

The batters of KKR, particularly the opening pair, have flourished on the high-scoring tracks in Kolkata, and a comparable pitch is anticipated for Friday's match. In Kolkata, fast bowlers have maintained an economy rate of 10.74, contrasting with spinners' 9.31. A significant portion of this discrepancy can be attributed to the effectiveness of Sunil Narine, who has claimed six wickets in 16 overs with an economy of 6.25, and Varun Chakravarthy, who has secured five wickets in 16 overs with an economy of 9.81.

⁠KKR vs PBKS Weather Conditions

The temperature is likely to be at 36 degree celcius at the start of the match. The humidity is also likely to be around 80 per cent, which means dew will become a big factor in the second half of the match. There is no chance of rainfall in Kolkata on April 26.

⁠KKR vs PBKS  Head-to-Head

In the head-to-head battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings in IPL matches, Knight Riders have a clear advantage with 21 wins in 32 matches played against Punjab Kings with 11 wins.

KKR vs PBKS Playing 11 Prediction

KKR has consistently made strategic substitutions, swapping out a batsman for either a fast bowler or a spinner based on the prevailing conditions and the game's situation. In most instances, Rinku Singh has been sidelined during the fielding innings, replaced by either Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, or Suyash Sharma. This pattern is likely to persist.

As per spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi, Shikhar Dhawan is slated to regain fitness for PBKS' next match only. The implications of this for the batting lineup remain uncertain. It's unclear whether Sam Curran will resume opening duties or if either Rilee Rossouw or Jonny Bairstow will pair up with Prabhsimran Singh.

KKR Probable 11

Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghvanshi, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

PBKS Probable 11

Rilee Rossouw, Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada

KKR vs PBKS Squads

KKR Squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain

PBKS Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajann, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw