Punjab Kings will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the second match of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, which would also be the first day-game of the season. IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, the home ground for Punjab Kings will serve as the venue for this clash. Punjab Kings last played at this venue on 5th May 2019, and they would hope for a happy homecoming. Read more to find out PBKS vs KOL Dream11 Prediction, Player Stats, Captain & Vice-Captain, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Pitch report, Playing XI, Injury and weather updates.
Kolkata Knight Riders ran close but missed the playoff chance last season. They ended 7th on the table with 6 wins out of 14 games. Punjab Kings too missed the playoffs even after having one of the strongest squads in the season. The Mayank Agarwal-led side secured 7 wins in their 14 games and finished 6th on the table.
Both teams will feature different captains from their 2022 side. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Punjab Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders will be led by Nitish Rana. Both captains would want to begin the season on a positive note.
Match Details
- Match: – Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
- Date: – 1 April 2024
- Time: – 3:30 PM
- Venue: – IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
- Live Streaming: – Star Sports Network and Jio Cinema
Pitch Report
Mohali has always produced batting-friendly wickets. The wicket does offer some movement early in the innings, but it gets better for batting as the game progresses. The average first innings score at this venue is 168 and 80% of the games have been won by the teams batting second.
Weather Conditions
It will be a windy afternoon at Mohali with chances of light rain after 5 pm IST with a temperature around 31 C.
Injury Update
PBKS:
- Johnny Bairstow would miss the entire IPL, Matthew Short has been named his replacement.
- Liam Livingstone won’t be available for the opening clash.
KOL:
- Their regular captain, Shreyas Iyer is expected to miss the majority of the season. Nitish Rana is assigned to lead the team in his absence.
- Shakib Al-Hasan and Litton Das would not be available for selection due to national duties.
PBKS vs KOL Head-to-Head Records
Kolkata Knight Riders have enjoyed an upper hand against the Kings, winning 20 out of the 30 games played.
Total Matches: 30
Punjab Kings: 10
Kolkata Knight Riders: 20
PBKS vs KOL: Dream 11 Top Picks & Player Stats
Sam Curran (PBKS)
The player who attracted the highest bid in the auction’s history will be in action tomorrow. He has been in top form and was adjudged the player of the tournament in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
Shikhar Dhawan (PBKS)
The Punjab Kings skipper has been consistent throughout the IPL. He is the second-highest leading run-scorer in IPL and was Punjab’s leading batter last season, mustering 460 runs at a strike rate of 122.
Andre Russell (KOL)
The hard-hitting all-rounder from Jamaica has always made his presence felt. He was one of the key performers for Kolkata last year, scoring 335 runs at a strike rate of 174 and picking 17 wickets too.
PBKS vs KOL Dream11 Prediction Team
- Wicketkeepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Batters: Shikhar Dhawan, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer
- All-rounders: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Sikander Raza, Sam Curran
- Bowlers: Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Arshdeep Singh
Dream11 Captain & Vice-Captain Choice For Today’s Match
- Captain: Andre Russell
- Vice-Captain: Shikhar Dhawan
PBKS vs KOL Probable XI
PBKS Probable XI:
Shikhar Dhawan©, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikander Raza, Jitesh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
KOL Probable XI:
Venkatesh Iyer, Narayan Jagadeesan(wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nitish Rana©, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
PBKS vs KOL Match Prediction: Who Will Win?
Kolkata Knight Riders have not lost their opening games since 2013. They have also enjoyed favourable outcomes against Punjab Kings and are hence expected to win the game. It is going to be a close-finish as Punjab Kings won’t bow down without a fight.
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 will play Kolkata Knight Riders (KOL) in the second match of the IPL at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.){kind=link}