Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on perennial underachievers Punjab Kings in the 8th match of IPL 2022. The contest will be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
KKR got off to a great start in IPL 2022 by defeating Chennai Super Kings comprehensively. However, they succumbed to a narrow loss at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the next game. Defending a mere 128, the KKR bowlers put up a commendable fight to take the game to the last over.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, come into this game after hunting down 206 against RCB in their opening fixture. A new-look Punjab Kings side boasts of a number of power-hitters and can give a good fight to KKR’s strong bowling line-up.
KKR vs PBKS – Head to head total
KKR and PBKS have played a total of 29 IPL games between them. KKR have an upper hand with 19 wins, while PBKS have won 10 games. In the last five meetings between the two, KKR lead the head to head total 3-2.
The highest score posted by PBKS against KKR is 214, while the highest score posted by KKR against PBKS is 245. The lowest total posted by both teams against each other is 119 (PBKS) and 109 (KKR).
Injury update and team news
PBKS – South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada is out of quarantine and available for the game against KKR. England’s Jonny Bairstow, however, is unavailable as he is yet to complete quarantine upon arrival from the West Indies.
KKR –Pat Cummins, who was with the Australia team in Pakistan, has joined the KKR camp in Mumbai.
Probable XI for both the teams
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Raj Bawa, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer (c), Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Two players to watch out for from both teams
PBKS – Shikhar Dhawan and Odean Smith
Shikhar Dhawan is overall the second-highest run-getter in IPL history and he has been among the top five run-scorers in each of the last three years. In the game against RCB, the southpaw scored a blistering 43 runs off 29 deliveries at a strike rate of 148.3.
Odean Smith, meanwhile, was the match-winner for Punjab against Bangalore. The power hitter from the West Indies scored an unbeaten 25 off just 8 balls at a strike rate of 312.
KKR – Shreyas Iyer and Umesh Yadav
Although the new skipper is yet to play to his potential after the first two games, he is a sensational T20 batsman who can demolish the bowling line-up. He recently scored three successive fifties in the home series against Sri Lanka.
Fast bowler Umesh Yadav has been KKR’s best bowler in the two games played so far. Not only has he been among wickets, Yadav has also been fairly economical for a pacer.
Who will win the match between PBKS and KKR?
On paper, the Punjab Kings have one of the strongest sides this IPL season. They have a lot of depth in their batting, but their bowling line-up looks a tad weak. KKR, on the other hand, have bowled exceptionally well in the first two games but some of their star batsmen have disappointed. This game will be a contest between KKR’s bowlers and Punjab’s batsmen, with Betwala putting their money on the Mayank Agarwal-led side.
Where to watch the KKR vs PBKS IPL 2022 match in India?
The KKR vs PBKS IPL 2022 match can be watched on the Star Sports Network in India on April 1 at 7.30 PM IST. You can also watch the match online on the Hotstar app.
Image credit: IPL
