Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will square-off against each other in the 31st game of the tournament at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh
Match Preview:
Under captain Shreyas Iyer, PBKS is a formidable team going into this game that consists of potent bowlers, seasoned all-rounders, and aggressive batters.
The team took a severe beating at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their most recent match. However, Ricky Ponting’s team will be motivated to bounce back from that defeat and will be preparing to resume their winning ways.
Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, who scored an incredible century against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will be at the top of the pack. Iyer will serve as the team’s captain as the franchise makes an aggressive effort in Chandigarh.
Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, and Marcus Stoinis give the middle order invaluable all-around support. While Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal are premier bowlers for Punjab Kings, they will surely miss Lockie Ferguson as he out of the IPL due to the injury he picked up in the latest game.
Power hitters and elite bowlers make up the deadly combination of the reigning champs. After a strong performance at the beginning of the innings, Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine will look to maintain their dominance. With the bat, captain Ajinkya Rahane also shown a new side, becoming more aggressive than before.
Andre Russell hammers at the end, while Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer provide stability in the middle overs. Russell hasn’t yet shown himself in the IPL this year or on Chandigarh’s batting wicket.
With Varun Chakaravarthy and Narine using spin to dominate the middle overs and Moeen Ali, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Arora providing pace, Kolkata also boasts a strong bowling.
Probable Playing XIIS:
Punjab Kings: 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai/Aaron Hardie, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yash Thakur
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 5 Venkatesh Iyer, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Moeen Ali, 10 Harshit Rana, 11 Vaibhav Arora, 12 Varun Chakravarthy
Pitch and weather report:
This season’s two Mullanpur matches have had 200-plus runs scored while batting first. The team that batted first was able to effectively protect it each time. On Tuesday, when temperatures are predicted to drop to 27 degrees Celsius in the evening after reaching 38 degrees in the morning, don’t count out a big total.
Head-to-head record:
The two teams have faced off against one another 33 times in the IPL, with KKR winning 21 of those matches and PBKS winning 12 of them.
Prediction:
Given how Punjab Kings have been performing , they are favourites to win the upcoming match of the tournament.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Afghanistan: ATN
MENA: Cricbuzz
