KKR vs PBKS will likely be a cracking Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture, as both teams need two points desperately. Kolkata Knight Riders are seventh in the table with eight points from ten games, while Punjab Kings (PBKS) are struggling to find consistency, picking up five wins in ten matches.  

Eden Gardens is the venue for IPL match 53, to be played on Monday at 7:30 PM. 

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR fans will want their top order to find consistency, as the franchise was reduced to 35/3 within the first five overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game. If Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz give KKR an excellent start, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell can build on it and post a challenging total or chase down big scores. 

The fast bowling department remains the biggest concern. Uncapped Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana did well on Thursday but are inexperienced. KKR will be relying on Shardul Thakur and Andre Russell for early breakthroughs. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy is the most reliable player in the spin department this season. 

Punjab Kings

After a few disappointing outings, Shikhar Dhawan will want to get a big score. Despite missing three matches, the PBKS skipper is the franchise’s top run scorer. It would be encouraging for Dhawan that Liam Livingstone took the responsibility and played a stellar 82* against Mumbai Indians. Also, Jitesh Sharma continued to impress, scoring a 27-ball 49* at Wankhede. 

The bowling unit has to perform better after failing to defend 214 in the last game. Arshdeep Singh gave away 66 runs, the fifth-most expensive figures in IPL. Despite being a tad expensive, Nathan Ellis has been able to pick up wickets consistently. The spin duo of Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar are yet to fire. They have taken just seven wickets between them.

Head-to-Head: KKR vs PBKS

In the 31 matches played between both teams, KKR has won 20 times, while PBKS grabbed 11 victories. Arshdeep Singh’s 3/19 helped PBKS beat KKR in the first meeting between the two sides in IPL 2023. 

KKR & PBKS IPL 2023 Stats

• Top Run-scorer: Rinku Singh –  316 runs (KKR); Shikhar Dhawan – 292 Runs (PBKS)
• Most Wickets: Varun Chakravarthy – 14 Wickets (KKR); Arshdeep Singh – 16 wickets (PBKS)
• Most Sixes: Rinku Singh – 20 Sixes (KKR); Jitesh Sharma – 16 Sixes (PBKS)

KKR vs PBKS: Who Will Win?

KKR has the advantage of playing at home, but the two-time champions lost their last three matches at Eden Gardens. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings enjoy playing away from home, as they have grabbed wins in Guwahati, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Chennai. It will likely be two points for PBKS on Monday.