Punjab Kings. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

The T20 fever has taken over the entire world as the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League has got underway with a spectacular opening game between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. The second game of the season will feature Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders taking on each other at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. 

Both Punjab and Kolkata had almost similar outings in the previous season as they finished on sixth and seventh position on the points table respectively. Punjab have been finishing sixth on the points table consecutively since 2019 and last reached the playoffs in 2014.

Under the leadership of the new captain Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab will look to turn things around in the upcoming season. They bought all-rounder Sam Curran for a whopping INR 18.50 crore at the mini-auction to add more firepower to their squad.

They also roped in Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza for INR 50 lakh. Punjab will be eager to turn things around in the upcoming season and finally reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

On the other hand, Kolkata will also be led by a new captain in this season as regular captain Shreyas Iyer is nursing a back injury. The two-time champions reached the final of the tournament in 2021 and finished seventh on the points table in 2022 winning six out of 14 matches.

Having made some good purchases at the mini-auction such as Shakib Al Hasan, Narayan Jagadeesan and David Wiese, Kolkata will hope for a change of fortunes in the season and qualify for the playoffs.

Pitch Report

There have been a total of nine T20Is played at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium where teams batting first have won five matches. The average first innings score at the venue is 168 while the highest total recorded is 211/4 by India against Sri Lanka.

The wicket has traditionally been good for batting as large totals have been chased down at the venue. Captain winning the toss will be looking to bat first and set a good total to bring the opposition under pressure.

Probable Playing XI for PBKS vs KKR

Punjab Kings

The unavailability of Liam Livingstone for the season opener will hurt Punjab. However, they have a good replacement in Sikandar Raza for Livingstone. Jonny Bairstow’s absence is also likely to affect the team and they will hope that the young sensation Matthew Short shines on the big stage of the IPL.

Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar/Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar

Kolkata Knight Riders

Nitish Rana will have an uphill task of marshalling his troops in the absence of the regular captain Shreyas Iyer. They have several all-rounders in their arsenal giving them the much-needed depth in batting and in bowling too.

Venkatesh Iyer, N. Jagadeesan, Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

PBKS vs KKR Head to Head

Played – 30 | Punjab Kings – 10 | Kolkata Knight Riders – 20 |

PBKS vs KKR Broadcast & Live Streaming Details

Match Timings – 3:30 PM IST

Live Broadcast – Star Sports network

Live Streaming – JioCinema app & Website