IPL 2023, PBKS vs KKR: Nitish Rana elects to bowl
Match 2 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) sees Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kick-start their campaign against each other. Both sides are missing out on some key players and it will be interesting to see how they will embrace the challenge. Meanwhile, KKR skipper Nitish Rana won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Here are the two teams
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mandeep Singh, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy. Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
Mohali's PCA Stadium will host the duel on Saturday afternoon (April 1). Batters generally enjoy batting here with the outfield being on the quicker side. Fast bowlers can get assistance early on. 168 reads the average first innings score here. While Star Sports Network would provide the live telecast (3: 30 PM IST), Viacom18 and JioCinema hold the streaming rights.
Here is the head-to-head record
The Knights have enjoyed playing against PBKS in IPL, having defeated them 20 times in 30 meetings. The remaining 10 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. Andre Russell's unbeaten 31-ball 70 helped the side chase down 138 in just 14.3 overs.
Here are the key performers
Russell (1,977) can become the third player to complete 2,000 runs for KKR. Nitish Rana's tally of 1,744 is the highest for a KKR batter since his maiden appearance for the franchise in 2018. Dhawan is the second-highest run-scorer in IPL history, having smoked 6,244 runs in 206 matches. Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar scalped 14 wickets in 13 matches last season at 25.71.
A look at the debutants
Afghanistan's wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been handed his IPL debut. He'll open for the Knights. From the PBKS camp, veteran Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza is making his maiden IPL appearance. He has been in red-hot form lately.
