It's the Varun Chakravarthy derby as the Kings XI Punjab take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on 8th May, 7:30 pm at the Eden Gardens.
For KKR it's a must win game for them to remain in the playoffs race, whereas even PBKS would want to get back to winning ways, after the humiliating loss handed to them by Mumbai in their last match.
Kings XI Punjab:
Punjab have had a roller-coaster ride so far, where the Kings have found it hard to maintain a winning streak. However, given the amount of injuries and pull-outs experienced by them this season, PBKS would be satisfied with the fact that they are still in the playoff race.
RECENT FORM: L W L W L
Batting has been fantastic this season, with multiple players stepping up. Their biggest strength is that the majority of their batsmen play with a strike in excess of 145. This fact is also evident in the results, with PBKS reaching the 190+ total 6 out of 10 times this season.
On the other hand, their bowling has been equally disappointing. Only Arshdeep singh has been able to find some consistency throughout the tournament but even he had a nightmare against MI in PBKS's previous match.
Sam Curran needs to step up. Though he has done decently well at the death, bowling at an average of 50 cannot be justified when you are the most expensive player of the tournament.
Predicted Playing XI:
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis
(Impact player: Rahul Chahar to replace Prabsimran Singh)
Kolkata Knight Riders:
KKR's campaign can be described using various words. The word which we choose is: disappointing.
RECENT FORM: W L W L L
If there ever was a bits and pieces team, then it's KKR this season. There hardly has been a match where all units have performed to a certain basic level, together.
Despite playing two overseas foreigners, KKR had yet another top order collapse in their previous match, which has been the story for them since last year.
The only positive for them this season has been the spin duo of Suyash and Varun, and they would be hoping they can enjoy an Eden pitch which allows them to utilize their skills to the maximum level.
Predicted Playing XI:
Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (C), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.
(Impact Player: Suyash Sharma for Jason Roy)
Interesting facts:
- Head to Head: In the 31 matches played by each other, KKR leads with 20 wins and Punjab with 11 wins.
- Andre Russell needs 3 fours to reach 150 fours in IPL.
- Andre Russell needs 4 wickets to reach 100 wickets in IPL.
- Shikhar Dhawan needs 5 sixes to reach 200 sixes in T20 cricket.
- Jitesh Sharma needs 27 runs to reach 500 run mark in IPL.
- Liam Livingstone needs 2 fours to reach 50 fours in IPL.
- Sam Curran needs 6 fours to reach 50 fours in IPL.
- Arshdeep Singh is 3 wickets away from 100 wickets in T20 format.
Pitch Report and its Impact:
Heaven knows why, but KKR has continuously prepared a complete flat track in all of their home matches. Given their spinning pedigree, it was expected we would be getting the old Eden back, however we have got only highways till now and that has back-fired for KKR till now, with them winning only 1 home match till now. If they continue to be stubborn, PBKS will start as favourites tomorrow.
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Time & Date: 8th May 2023, 7:30 PM IST
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network & Jio Cinema
Dream 11 Team:
