Friday, 26 Apr KKR vs PBKS Match Prediction, Betting Odds and Tips

Key match factors – KKR vs PBKS

• The pitch at Eden Gardens has been a belter. The team batting first needs to score above 200 to have a decent chance of winning.
• PBKS batters struggled against spin bowling last time against GT and will have another tough challenge against the Knights.
• PBKS need to dismiss Sunil Narine at the earliest to make sure that KKR do not score enough runs in the powerplay.
• Sam Curran needs to start stepping up as an all-rounder and lead the team from the front until Shikhar Dhawan returns.

Match Preview

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will cross swords in the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Friday, April 26 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The Knights, led by Shreyas Iyer, have been brilliant until now in the tournament. Having garnered 10 points and a net run rate of +1.206 thanks to wins in 5 out of 7 matches, the Men in Gold and Purple have looked in stupendous form. They will be high on confidence after beating Faf du Plessis’ Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 1 run in their previous game.

After batting first, KKR scored 222 for 6 on the back of Shreyas’ 50-run knock. Andre Russell played a critical role with the ball after he finished with figures of 3-0-25-3. Mitchell Starc successfully defended 21 runs in the last over to take KKR home.

The Kings, on the other hand, have not had much to cheer for of late. They are struggling at ninth in the table with 4 points and a net run rate of -0.292 thanks to wins in only 2 out of 8 matches. They will go into their next game after losing to Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans by 3 wickets.

After opting to bat first, PBKS were bowled out for 142 in 20 overs. Prabhsimran Singh was their top batter with 36 runs off 21 balls. Harshal Patel bowled brilliantly and picked up 3 wickets, but the Titans chased down the target with 5 balls left in their innings.

Head-to-Head Record Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings

The Knights and the Kings have faced each other 32 times since their first meeting in 2008. Out of them, KKR have won 21 games while PBKS finished on the winning side 11 times. At the Eden Gardens, the Knights have a 9-3 lead over their opponents.

In their previous meeting on May 8, 2023, KKR beat PBKS by 5 wickets after chasing down 180 off the last ball. Andre Russell won the Player of the Match award for scoring 42 runs off 23 balls under pressure.