IPL 2022 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings - Preview, head to head, where to watch, and betting tips

04/01/2022

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Kolkata Knight Riders will go up against Punjab Kings on Friday (April 1) in Match 8 of the 15th edition of the IPL at Wankhede Stadium. While KKR lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 3 wickets in their last encounter, PBKS is coming to this fixture after winning against the same opponents.

After losing a hard-fought contest against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) less than 48 hours ago, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will aim to get back into the winning ways when they take on a newly-looked Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday (April 1), in Match 8 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Both sides have plenty of firepowers on the roster, including the likes of Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, and Liam Livingstone.

The PBKS began IPL 2022 in style, thrashing RCB by five wickets. They chased down 206 with an over to spare, courtesy of all-round batting display. Mayank Agarwal (32 off 24 balls), Shikhar Dhawan (43 off 29), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (43 off 22) all chipped in with handy contributions, but it was Odean Smith who stole the limelight. In his unbeaten eight-ball 25, he smashed three massive sixes to take his side past the finishing line.

The KKR, on the other hand, had a forgettable outing against RCB at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy. They were skittled out for 128 in 18.5 overs but staged a valiant show with the ball. Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, and Sunil Narine were particularly impressively, combining figures of six for 48 in their allotted 12 overs, but in the end, it was not enough.

Form Guide

While the KKR has already played two matches in IPL 2022, winning one and losing one, the PBKS has secured a victory in their only fixture so far.

Head to Head

KKR and PBKS have met 29 times in the past. While KKR ended up winning on 19 occasions, PBKS had the last laugh 10 times.

Predicted XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Sheldon Jackson (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy.

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Raj Bawa, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar.

Best betting tip

Shreyas Iyer to score more than 24.5 @ 1.83

The newly-appointed KKR skipper remained till the end against CSK to reach the target but departed cheaply against RCB. His records at Wankhede in IPL are not great either, aggregating 82 runs from 68 balls in four outings at a strike rate of 120.6. Still, he will be eager to lead from the front for regaining the winning momentum.

There is no Kagiso Rabada in the PBKS bowling attack yet. Without him, they looked lacklustre against RCB in their IPL 2022 opener, conceding 205 in 20 overs. Considering KKR’s potent batting unit, there might be a similar carnage again, and Shreyas, riding on his recent form, is expected to be the leader of the pack.

Match Prediction

KKR has a dominant history over PBKS in the past. Despite posting a below-par total, they staged a valiant effort with the ball in their last fixture against RCB. PBKS, too, staged a strong batting show in their tournament opener to set the stage on fire. It would be a tough choice to predict the winner but given KKR’s records against PBKS, probably a KKR win is likely on the cards.