 faced off against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens. PBKS have won three of their last five matches against KKR, including their last encounter which was the season-opener for both teams. The two teams are currently only separated by 2 points in the table and are both determined to secure a win.){kind=link}
On Monday, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) faced off against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens. PBKS have won three of their last five matches against KKR, including their last encounter which was the season-opener for both teams. The two teams are currently only separated by 2 points in the table and are both determined to secure a win.
PBKS comes into this contest having posted four 200+ scores in their last four games, while KKR has won two of their last three matches. With Eden Gardens being one of the best tracks to bat on this season, another high-scoring match is anticipated.
Despite being up against the wall, KKR managed to snatch a memorable win against Sunrisers in their previous match, thanks to Varun Chakravarthy’s exceptional bowling. KKR will take the confidence from that win into this fixture. KKR has won 20 out of their 32 fixtures against PBKS in their head-to-head record.
During their reverse fixture in Mohali earlier this season, KKR fell short by 7 runs (D/L) while chasing 191 to win in a rain-affected match. With both teams now competing to secure a place in the playoffs, the stakes are higher than ever.
Andre Russell is the most prolific run scorer among the current KKR side against PBKS, having scored 366 runs. Sunil Narine has taken 33 wickets with his best figures being 5/19 against PBKS. The KKR will be counting on both West Indians to perform well in this game.
KKR will also rely on Roy, Gurbaz, Skipper Rana, and Rinku Singh to continue their form with the bat. Eden Gardens has helped run-scoring all season, with no safe score deemed enough. A minimum score of 200 for teams batting first is necessary to stay in the hunt, and even then, defending that score would require a Herculean effort from the bowlers.
The temperature is expected to be above 40 degrees on Monday, and the track is anticipated to be hard and dry, favoring the batsmen from the first ball.