Overview
Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings are separated by only two points in the IPL table, with KKR on eight and Punjab on ten. Victory for either at Eden Gardens on Monday evening will push them into play-off contention. Defeat, on the other hand, could have damaging consequences at this late stage of the season.
Kolkata have shown some promise with two wins from their last three matches, after a sequence of four losses. However, they have struggled to perform well at home, losing their last three matches at the venue. One of the major reasons behind their struggles has been the poor performance of their batters, with only three players scoring more than 200 runs and none more than 316 run. In this context, the form of Jason Roy, who has scored 180 runs with at a rate of 9.56 runs per over, could be crucial for KKR.
Sunil Narine’s poor performance, with an economy rate of 8.76 this season, has been a concern for the KKR camp, but his track record against Punjab Kings – he has 33 wickets to his name against them – might work in their favour. On the other hand, Punjab have won and lost alternate matches in their last six encounters, with their previous outing being a six-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians. However, they are the ‘away specialists’ this season, having won their last three matches outside Mohali.
But winning at Eden Gardens, where they have lost eight out of eleven matches in the past, might prove to be a challenge for Punjab. In the reverse fixture in Mohali, Punjab won by seven runs with Arshdeep Singh’s impressive spell of 3-19 making all the difference in the chase. A similar performance could be the key to their success in this crucial match.
Venue and time
Eden Gardens, Kolkata. 7:30 PM
Head-to-Head
A total of 31 matches have been played between Kolkata and Punjab, with Kolkata winning 20 times.
Expected conditions and toss
It is expected to be hot and humid on Monday evening with a few breezy spells expected during the match. With dew set to play a major role again in Kolkata, the team winning the toss should opt to chase.
Likely Playing XIs and Impact Player
KKR could use Suyash Sharma as their Impact Player given the Eden Gardens pitch has aided the spinners. Punjab could use Harpreet Brar as their Impact player.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(C), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Punjab Kings: Atharva Taide, Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone/Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh.
Also Read: No-ball, Clutch Phillips, and Drops Cost Sloppy Royals