PBKS vs KKR: In what is going to be the second contest of IPL 2023, Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will try and find an outlet for a victorious start after what felt like a sweltering summer with bare minimum results for both the sides in IPL 2022.
Punjab Kings started their preceding campaign on an all-time high after pipping the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a run-fest in the curtain-raiser. Surprisingly the fortunes changed for both the sides as RCB resuscitated their campaign handsomely while the Kings found themselves sinking in the unwanted waters of despair finishing in the 6th place of the points table with 7 wins and a net a run rate of +0.126.
Kolkata Knight Riders, on the contrary, had a contrasting campaign to that of 2021 where they finished as the runners-up, suffering a staggering dip in the forms of their star players who were instrumental in 2021 to help the side turn the tide around in significant fashion as they climbed to the top 2 from the rock-bottom.
In a battle of two teams who are no strangers to the glitz and glam of the tournament, they will be hoping to change their fortunes after a year of reticence where the challenge has been overwhelming and they would like to ride the higher side of the tides with the new reinforcements in place.
One of the major challenges for KKR will be the absence of their captain, Shreyas Iyer who has been sidelined at least for the first half of the tournament. The presence of Nitish Rana with the reins under him can be a different sort of challenge but once again considering Rana’s displays in the domestic circuit and his presence for the Delhi team as a skipper where he won 8 out of 12 games makes him a pretty decent pick.
PBKS vs KKR: Pitch and Weather report
The surface is an absolute to belter to deliver on and it may very well augur to be an exceptionally conducive one for the batters. With the average score of 170 batting first, you can expect the teams to pile up 200 on the card. There aren’t many shenanigans that the willow men will have to worry about.
It is a bright and sunny day in Punjab and expect a cracker of a contest to come your way. The humidity would definitely be a problem while the hot winds in the afternoon hasn’t been kind towards anyone delivering their goods under the open sky.
PBKS vs KKR: Best Fantasy XI
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (cap), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar
Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Litton Das, Nitish Rana (cap), Narayan Jagadeesan, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
PBKS vs KKR – Who will win today’s match?
In the battle of a hard-hitting side and a side that is still to find its stride after a rude awakening in 2022, the scales should be tipped towards KKR after their latest reinforcements and the kind of form that their strike batters find themselves in.
PBKS vs KKR – Injury and news
Barring Shreyas Iyer, the remainder of the players will be available for selection in the KKR fold while Punjab Kings will be coming full steam into this fixture.
