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IPL 2023 Predictions: PBKS vs KKR
The second match of TATA IPL 2023 will witness Punjab Kings clashing with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on April 1st, Saturday.
The home side Punjab Kings will be led by the Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be led by Nitish Rana in the absence of their regular captain Shreyas Iyer who is still recovering from an injury.
Punjab Kings finished in 6th position last season.
Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, finished in 7th spot.
Punjab side is yet to win an IPL title, meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders have won twice.
KKR dominates this rivalry 20-10 with a run of 8 straight wins from 2014-2017.
However, their contests have been more even in recent years with both teams winning two out of the previous four matches against each other.
The Punjab Kings had a strong squad for IPL 2022 but missed out on the playoffs after winning just seven of their 14 matches.
They released nine players, including former skipper Mayank Agarwal, Odean Smith, and Sandeep Sharma, before the mini-auction last year and acquired six new players.
Their big picket purchase was Sam Curran for a record-breaking INR 18.5 crores.
Punjab Kings have Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Matthew Short as their overseas players.
However, Livingstone will miss the first match due to NOC clearance, while Rabada is away for national duties.
However, Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of IPL 2023 and that is certainly a big loss.
Amongst Indian players, apart from Shikhar Dhawan, they have Arshdeep Singh who has now developed into India’s regular T20 international.
Jitesh Sharma was very good with the bat and as a keeper but Shahrukh Khan or Harpreet Singh Bhatia will have to raise their game to the next level.
On the other hand, KKR retained 14 players and released 15 ahead of the mini-auction.
They made some smart trades, including Shardul Thakur from Delhi Capitals, Lockie Ferguson, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz from the Gujarat Titans.
Shreyas Iyer’s untimely shoulder injury has put KKR in a fix.
Rana’s surprise elevation to captaincy indicates that the team is banking on the southpaw to come good. The Delhi batter has had a few promising seasons of IPL but lacked consistency.
Another worry for KKR is the lack of quality death over bowlers. Barring Lockie Ferguson, no one can be trusted to bowl at the death.
The pitch at Mohali is likely to favour batters and we can expect a high-scoring game on Saturday.
However, pacers will also have something to work with. Recent results suggest that chasing will be the way to go, with four out of the last five IPL matches being won by teams batting second.
Venue stats
| Average Runs Per Wicket | 28.46 |
| Average Runs Per Over | 8.38 |
| Average 1st Innings score | 165 runs |
| Average 2nd Innings score | 180 runs |
| Winning percentage of batting first | 57% |
| Winning percentage of batting second | 43% |
Punjab Kings Playing XI
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Matthew Short, Prabsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar.
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI
N Jagadeesan (WK), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nitish Rana (C), Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
Who will win
Punjab look the stronger unit compared to KKR.
The inclusion of Sam Curran in the Punjab team can be a deciding factor and hence we expect the Kings to come out trumps.