The Match 8 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings is going to be yet another explosive contest between these two teams.
Both KKR and PBKS will be walking in this match to gain winning momentum right from the start.
KKR started the tournament with a fine victory but loss their second game while Punjab will look to get their 2nd win in the league.
Punjab has a new avatar
Punjab Kings have a remodelled side this year with some massive power and depth in their batting.
This was evident in their first match where they chased the mammoth total of 206 against RCB.
The new Captain Mayank Agarwal was quite content with team’s performance and hoped to continue the momentum.
Punjab’s bowling will be further strengthened with the arrival of South African pacer Kagiso Rabada who will probably will be the part of playing 11 after completing his quarantine period.
🔥 in eyes, 🔥 in bowling, 🅺🅶🆁 is all set, to get the ball rolling 😍#SaddaPunjab #IPL2022 #PunjabKings #ਸਾਡਾਪੰਜਾਬ pic.twitter.com/nCX4sbTtNy
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 31, 2022
Russell might sit out
Kolkata Knight Riders would be looking to regroup after their defeat in the last game and execute their plans well for this game.
Andre Russell, who could just bowl three overs in the last game is said to pull a sore muscle and therefore his selection in this match will depend on his fitness.
We go again tomorrow 💜@Russell12A #KKRHaiTaiyaar #KKRvPBKS #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/2uey3sMYlX
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 31, 2022
In case Russel is not fit, his probable replacement will be Mohammad Nabi or Chamika Karunaratne.
Nabi would be a better choice in comparison as he can give bowl a couple good overs in between and is also handy with the bat.
Match details:
Venue: Wankhede Stadium Mumbai
Date: 1st April 2022
Time: 7:30pm IST
Head to head past record:
Total matches played: 29
Won by KKR: 19
Won by PBKS: 10
NR: 0
Probable Playing 11 – Kolkata Knight Riders:
Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Sheryas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson(wk), Chamika Karunaratne, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Probable Playing 11 – Punjab Kings:
Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (C), Bhanusha Rakapaksa (wk), Liam Livingstone, Raj Bawa, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar
Star bowler of the match:
Umesh Yadav
Star batsman of the match:
Shikhar Dhawan
Who will win?
The last matches played at Wankhede have not been quite high scoring but the dew factor does kicks in later in the evening.
Therefore, toss will be important as both captains will be looking to bowl first and chase later.
As far as the win prediction for this match is concerned, all the signs point towards Punjab as being the favourite one here.
But on the same note, Kolkata Knight Riders is also a formidable and disciplined team and it would not be an easy task to strike them a second defeat in a row.
Punjab Kings will be once again eyeing a big score if they bat first. Odean Smith is a fantastic young talent from Caribbean just like the big names before from there.
His all-round strength will be under the light in this match.
Punjab will be playing on the back of a win here but KKR will definitely be looking to make their mark and register their second win for this year.
Match 8 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings will be yet another thrilling contest and more such predictions for the upcoming matches will be here again.
Stay Tuned and enjoy the biggest mela of Cricket!