Ashish Ranjan
KKR vs PBKS IPL 2023: On Monday (May 8) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 53rd match of IPL 2023. With four victories in ten games, the Knight Riders are in eighth place and must win their final four contests to qualify for the postseason. Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh played crucial innings as the Knight Riders defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match by defending their total of 171 runs and winning by five runs. Varun Chakravarthy was named Player of the Match for defending nine runs in the final over.
The Punjab Kings are presently seventh in the points table, having won five of ten games. In their most recent match against the Mumbai Indians, they scored 214 runs in 20 overs but ultimately lost. Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma were the team’s most valuable contributors, combining for 119 runs at the fourth wicket. After losing an early wicket, the middle-order batsmen of Mumbai helped them chase down the target with six wickets and seven deliveries remaining. In the end, Arshdeep Singh conceded 66 runs in 3.5 overs, tying the record for most runs conceded by a Kings bowler in an innings.
KKR and PBKS have met 31 times in the IPL thus far. KKR have triumphed in 20 encounters, whereas PBKS have only won 11. The Kings have won three of the last five meetings against the Knight Riders, including the season opener. PBKS scored 191 runs, lost five wickets, and won by seven runs using the DLS method in that contest.
KKR VS PBKS IPL 2023: PITCH REPORT
The Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata has hosted 23 T20 contests over the past three years. In these matches, the average first-inning score has been 176 runs. In the upcoming contest, it is anticipated that the pitch will be conducive to batting. Sixty-seven percent of the wickets gained have been accounted for by the pacers. In contrast, spinners have only taken 33 percent of wickets at this venue over the past three years.
KKR VS PBKS IPL 2023: H2H RECORDS
| Teams | Matches Won |
| KKR | 20 |
| PBKS | 11 |
KKR VS PBKS IPL 2023: PROBABLE PLAYING XI
KKR Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
PBKS Probable XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
KKR VS PBKS IPL 2023: TOP PICKS
Andre Russell: Russell has performed admirably for KKR in their last two contests. In ten innings, he has scored 166 runs at a strike rate of 148.21 and taken seven wickets with an average of 20.14.
Sam Curran: Curran has been one of the Kings’ finest all-around players this season. In nine innings, he has scored 192 runs at a strike rate of 143.28 and took seven wickets at an economy of 9.9.
Arshdeep Singh: He has taken the most wickets for the Kings, with 16 in ten innings at an average of 22.56, an economy of 9.8, and a strike rate of 13.3%. In the previous contest against the Knight Riders, he was selected as the game’s most valuable player.
Liam Livingstone: The 29-year-old all-rounder played a crucial role for the Kings in their previous game, scoring 82 runs off 42 deliveries and assisting the team in reaching 214 runs with three wickets lost. In five innings, Livingstone has scored 157 runs at a strike rate of 163.54.
Shikhar Dhawan: Even though he has only appeared in seven games this season, he is the Kings’ foremost run-scorer. He has scored 292 runs with a 58.4 average and a 148.97 strike rate. Dhawan has been an outstanding middle-overs batsman for the Kings, scoring 120 runs at a strike rate of 148.14.
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