Kolkata Knight Riders will host Punjab Kings in the 44th match of the Indian Premier League 2025 on Saturday.
The life of a hurricane 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/vAwy0jUZYd
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 26, 2025
Match Details:
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, Match 44
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: April 26th at 3:30 PM IST and Local Time
Live Telecast & Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioHotstar
What is the Pitch Report for KKR vs PBKS, Indian Premier League 2025, Match 44?
Though the wicket is well known as a batting paradise, the teams have struggled to chase in the last 3 outings. Reports suggest that there will be a good grass cover for Saturday’s clash, where the seamers will get a lot of assistance. Spinners can be economical but won’t get many wickets.
We can expect a high-scoring game in the KKR vs PBKS game.
What is the Head-to-Head Record for KKR vs PBKS in IPL matches?
Total Matches Played: 34
KKR Won: 21
PBKS Won: 13
Recent form:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Lost, Lost, Won, Lost, Won
Punjab Kings: Lost, Won, Won, Lost, Won
KKR vs PBKS, Indian Premier League 2025, Match 44 Probable Winners:
Kolkata Knight Riders are expected to win this match.
What is the Expected, Probable Playing XIs for KKR vs PBKS, Indian Premier League 2025, Match 44?
Kolkata Knight Riders
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi / Vaibhav Arora, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.
Punjab Kings
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh / Harpreet Brar, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Built on resilience. Fueled by perseverance. Defined by courage 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/uHYFagEaNJ
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 26, 2025
Injury Updates:
Currently, the players from both squads are doing well and fit. It will be added when there is an update.
What are the Fantasy Cricket Top Picks, Players for KKR vs PBKS, Indian Premier League 2025, Match 44?
Top Pick – Batter
Nehal Wadhera is a gem of a talent, who has shown what he is capable of in the ongoing IPL 2025. In 7 matches, he scored 189 runs at a strike rate of 146.51 with the top score of 62.
Top Pick – All-Rounder
Already, the first half is done and dusted, we have yet to witness the peak of Sunil Narine in the IPL 2025 so far. He has scored 147 runs at a strike rate of 177.1 and picked up 7 wickets across 7 matches.
𝐊𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐛𝐞! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EDZr0tGClE
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 26, 2025
Top Pick – Bowler
Harshit Rana is the leading wicket-taker for Kolkata Knight Riders this season, picking up 11 wickets in 8 matches with the best figures of 3 for 25.
Top Pick – Wicketkeeper
Prabhsimran Singh is good at providing rapid starts at the top of the order. In 8 matches in the IPL 2025, he scored 209 runs at a strike rate of 168.54 with the best score of 69.
X-Factor:
Ajinkya Rahane has gone about his business pretty well for the Knight Riders this season, accounting for 271 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 146.48.
What are the Fantasy Suggested Teams for KKR vs PBKS, Indian Premier League 2025, Match 44?
1. Prabhsimran Singh, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Nehal Wadhera (vc), Priyansh Arya, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana.
2. Josh Inglis, Ajinkya Rahane, Shashank Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine (c), Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Xavier Bartlett, Varun Chakravarthy (vc).
𝑪𝒉𝒉𝒂𝒂𝒑 𝑻𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒌 𝒔𝒂𝒃 𝒄𝒉𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒊 𝒓𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒙𝒊 𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒂𝒊𝒌𝒆! 👀🎶 pic.twitter.com/X0zm2ZBDgB
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 26, 2025
Pre-Match Analysis:
Back-to-back batting blunders have let the Kolkata Knight Riders down completely in the tournament, and they seek home comfort on Saturday to get back to winning ways. The scheduling is somewhat strange, as they have only played 2 matches in the last 10 days, and the break was much needed to shift gears.
After limiting the Gujarat Titans to 198 for 3 in 20 overs earlier this week on a batting belter, the Knight Riders found it tough to get going and lost wickets at regular intervals, managing just 159 for 8, resulting in a loss by 39 runs. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane fought well in the run chase with a 36-ball 50, but that wasn’t nearly enough to guide the side home. It’s been a disappointing first half for the defending champions, who have managed 3 wins out of 8 matches and currently sit 7th in the standings with 6 points. With the competition for the playoff spots heating up, they must win all their remaining games.
The Punjab Kings pulled off a victory from nowhere when they faced the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier, successfully defending a meager 111 at Mullanpur. Thereafter, Shreyas Iyer’s side endured mixed results against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their home and away clashes. Following the rise of the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Kings have been pushed down to 5th in the standings with 10 points but have played one game less.
Their visit to Eden Gardens presents an excellent opportunity to re-enter the top 2. Skipper Iyer, who started the tournament with a bang, is now off the radar with 4 single-digit scores in the last 5 innings. They also need to address the issues in the middle order, which have taken a backseat in the last few matches.
