IPL 2023, KKR vs PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan elects to bat
What's the story
Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings will lock horns in the 53rd match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
The Knight Riders are coming off a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, while PBKS secured two wins and as many defeats of late.
PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan has won the toss and elected to bat first.
Teams
Here are the two teams
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (captain), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.
Details
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
Kolkata's Eden Gardens, which is renowned for its batting-friendly surface, will host this duel on May 8.
One could see a high-scoring game. Spinners will come into the match once the surface wears down.
Overall, a competitive battle between bat and ball is expected.
Star Sports Network will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema from 3:30pm IST onward.
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
The Knights have enjoyed playing against PBKS, having defeated them 20 times in 31 IPL meetings.
The remaining 11 games went in Punjab Kings's favor. Notably, the two sides met just once last season and KKR recorded a six-wicket victory in that contest.
In the season's first fixture between the two sides, PBKS successfully defended 191/5 and won by seven runs (DLS).
Campaigns
Both PBKS and KKR have had mixed campaigns
KKR have had a mixed season as of now. The Nitish Rana-led side beat SRH after losing to Gujarat Titans. The Knight Riders successfully defended 171/9 in Hyderabad even though the Orange Army were cruising at 124/4.
Similarly, PBKS have struggled to win consecutive matches. They beat Chennai Super Kings before losing to Mumbai Indians by six wickets.