KKR find themselves in a precarious position, with just three wins and five defeats from eight matches. They suffered a 39-run loss against the Gujarat Titans at home earlier this week. The form of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh is hurting the defending champions. Another defeat would significantly reduce their chances of reaching the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings are just outside the top four on the points table. They have five wins and three defeats after playing eight matches. They suffered a seven-wicket loss in Mullanpur in their most recent fixture, which was against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer had a blistering start to IPL 2025, but his form has dipped over the last few games. The Mumbai batter will look to get back among the runs and lead his team from the front on Saturday.
These two teams played a low-scoring thriller earlier in the season in Mullanpur. PBKS defended a target of 112, winning by 16 runs. This is the lowest total successfully defended in IPL history.
Check all the details given below regarding the match: -
KKR vs PBKS IPL Match Details
Match: KKR vs PBKS 44th Match of IPL 2025
Captains:
Ajinkya Rahane is going to lead Kolkata Knight Riders
Shreyas Iyer will lead Punjab Kings
When: Saturday, April 26th, 2025
Match is going to start at 07.30 p.m. (IST)
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Head-to-head of these two teams: Both teams have played 34 matches against each other. Out of which Kolkata Knight Riders has won 21 matches and Punjab Kings has won 13 matches with zero tie and zero match ended up in no result.
Likely playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Impact Player: Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Punjab Kings (PBKS):
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Josh Inglis (WK), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh.
Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal
Pitch report
The Eden Gardens has been an excellent venue for batting, especially in recent years. The average first-innings score this season, after four games, has been around 202. Three out of the four matches have been won by teams batting first. Winning the toss and opting to bat could be a good ploy. Posting a solid total and applying scoreboard pressure on the opposition in the second innings could prove fruitful.
Best players from both of the teams
Best Batsman: Shreyas Iyer
Best Bowler: Varun Chakaravarthy
Weather forecast for today in Kolkata
Maximum temperature: 33°C
Minimum temperature: 29°C
Wind speed: 23 Km/h
Chances of rain: 0%
Capacity of stadium: 68, 000
Prediction to win: Punjab Kings is most likely to win the match
Where to Watch: Watch the fastest score on our app