KKR vs PBKS – The second leg of the Indian Premier League is finally taking place in the UAE or the United Arab Emirates. The fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League had begun in India in March 2021 but had to be suspended midway through as the second wave of the pandemic ravaged through most of the country. In June, the decision to host the second leg of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates was taken and it finally started on the 19th of September, 2021.
The 45th match of this edition of the tournament shall be played between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings at the Dubai International Stadium. The match will begin at 07:30 pm of Indian Standard Time and will be live-streamed on the Crickex app and the Star Sports network. No in-person attendance shall be allowed for this match. This is a crucial match for both teams to stay relevant in the tournament. Let us have look at the further details of the match.
Two Teams
The two teams are differently placed in the rankings table. Kolkata Knight Riders are currently placed fourth in the rankings while the Punjab Kings are placed sixth in the rankings. The Kolkata Knight Riders have won 5 of the 11 matches it has played so far and lost 6 while the Punjab Kings have gained victory in 4 and lost in 7 of the games it has participated in. Kolkata Knight Riders are quite confident at the moment, especially after their last win. Their run rate has been quite good throughout the tournaments been one of the principal reasons behind their rank. The match is vital for the Kolkata Knight Riders as they will be aiming to cement their spot in the top four and thus qualify for the finals by winning this match.
On the other hand, the Punjab Kings would be trying their best to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs of the tournament by winning this match. Winning the next three matches in actually quite vital for the Punjab Kings. The Punjab Kings have lost its last match against the Mumbai Indians. Both the teams are quite confident and seem to be flying quite high at the moment. Hopefully this will result in a good match between the two teams
KKR vs PBKS Squad News
Both the squads have very good players. The Kolkata Knight Riderssquad seems to be in quite good form. Players like Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Fergusson and Venkatesh Oyer should definitely be watched out for. Spinner Sunil Narine, like always, is a valuable member of the team. The likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi are also quite important for the team. Captain Eoin Morgan and batsman Shubhman Gill, who are known for their clean hitting skills should definitely be watched out for.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings too has players of repute and importance. In the batting department, Aiden Markram and K.L. Rahul have been quite good and seem to be in fine form. Among the bowlers, Mohammad Shami, Nathan Ellis, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh have been quite effective and are expected to make a difference in the squad. The team also might be a bit demoralised owing to the fact that there has been a buzz of Chris Gayle leaving the tournament owing to bubble fatgue.
KKR vs PBKS Predicted Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, , Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (w), Rahul Tripathi, Prasidh Krishna/Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakravarthy Ben Cutting/Lockie Ferguson
Punjab Kings: Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi KL Rahul (c, w), Mayank Agarwal, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Mandeep Singh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda/Shahrukh Khan
Pitch Report
There is no official pitch report that has been made available. However, pitches for T20 matches are generally known for favouring batsmen. The pitch of this stadium is known for being doing the same and it seems it will favour the fast bowlers as the game progresses. Spinner might also get an advantage as the play progresses. The temperature will be around 33 C with 67% humidity. There is no forecast of rain.
The two teams have played a total of 28 matches against each other through all the editions of the Indian Premier League. The Kolkata Knight Riders have won 19 games while the Punjab Kings have won 9 games. The average score on this pitch while batting first is 161. Generally, 60 percent of the teams which have batted second on this pitch have won.
Conclusion
The stakes are quite high for both teams. It is certainly difficult to predict who will win the game but it seems like the chances are in favour of the Kolkata Knight Riders. However, the Punjab Kings can also script a turnaround. Let us see what happens but good, exciting cricket is definitely guaranteed in this match
