In the 42nd match of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, the Kolkata Knight Riders will be taking on Punjab Kings. The two teams are all set to play against each other at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday from 7:30 pm onwards.
Punjab Kings and the Knight Riders have experienced contrasting rides in the tournament so far. Shreyas Iyer’s men have delivered a handful of top-notch performances this season to become one of the top contenders for lifting the trophy.
On the other hand, the Kings have struggled at the top with none of their top-order batters firing big and the absence of regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan has also impacted the franchise which is playing at their new home ground in IPL 2024.
What has happened so far?
With five wins and just two losses from seven league matches, the Knight Riders are second in the points table. KKR’s only two defeats in the tournament came against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals by seven and two wickets respectively while their last match saw them thrashing Royal Challengers Bengaluru by just one run.
Notably, Phil Salt and skipper Shreyas were the standout performers with the bat while Andre Russell took the team home in the second innings with his sensational bowling aided by a brilliant last couple of balls by Mitchell Starc.
As far as Punjab Kings are concerned, they started the tournament on a good note with a win against Delhi Capitals. However, things have gone downhill for the franchise following that and they are currently on a four-match losing streak.
The Punjab-based franchise is heading into the Friday game, following a three-wicket defeat against the Gujarat Titans, as they ended up scoring only 142 runs in the 20 overs after opting to bat first. With only two victories to their name from eight games, PBKS is languishing in the second-last place in the league standings.
Head to Head Record
Kolkata Knight Riders enjoy domination over Punjab Kings in the head-to-head record. The two teams have played a total of 32 games against each other and KKR is leading the record with a commendable 21 wins. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings has scored a victory in only 11 matches.
In IPL 2023, a Bhanuka Rajapaksa half-century and a brilliant spell by Arshdeep Singh helped PBKS defeat KKR in the rain-affected match between the two sides at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side almost completed a double over the Knight Riders later in the season but Rinku Singh snatched the win from their hands on the last ball of the match.
Key Players
Harshal Patel is the top wicket-taker for PBKS in IPL 2024
Harshal Patel (Punjab Kings): Harshal Patel has been one of the top performers for the Punjab-based outfit in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League. The seamer seems to be in good rhythm with 13 wickets from eight matches at an average of 21.38. He is at the top of the wicket-scoring charts alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal.
The 33-year-old was at his best during PBKS’ last game against Gujarat Titans. While defending a low score of 143 runs, he picked up three wickets in the form of Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, and Azmatullah Omarzai.
Harshal also kept a check on the flow of the runs as well as he conceded only 15 runs in his three overs at an economy rate of five. PBKS will be hoping for another stellar performance from the seamer as they look to make a comeback to the winning ways.
Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): Not just with the bat, but Andre Russell has impressed the who’s who of the cricket fraternity with his exploits with the ball as well in the ongoing season of the cash-rich league.
The West Indies stalwart is known for hammering the opposition bowlers all over the park, but in IPL 2024 he has also been terrorizing the opposition with his wicket-taking skills.
Russell took home the Player of the Match award in KKR’s most recent game against RCB as he ensured a victory for his team by picking wickets of Dinesh Karthik, Rajat Patidar, and Will Jacks while conceding only 25 runs in his three overs.
Team News from Both Camps
Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan has missed the past few games because of his shoulder injury. There has been no update on his recovery and the opening batter is thus expected to miss the Friday game as well against the Knight Riders.
Meanwhile, the Knight Riders might also miss the services of their seamer Mitchell Starc as he sustained an injury in his hand while bowling his first over in the match against the Royal Challengers.
Predicted XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer ©, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran ©, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
Prediction
Kolkata Knight Riders will enter the Friday match as favorites as they have been in stellar form lately with five wins from seven games. On the other hand, the Kings will be extremely low on confidence with four consecutive defeats.