IPL 2023, KKR vs PBKS: Pitch report (Eden Gardens)
Match 53 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see the face-off between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens will host this duel on Monday (May 8). Both teams have played 10 games so far with PBKS claiming five wins and the Knight Riders prevailing four times. Here we look at the pitch report.
How does the track behave?
As batters have had a blast at Eden Gardens this year, one could see another high-scoring game. The quick outfield would give batters value for their shots. Spinners can be impactful in the middle overs. Teams batting first have won three of the four games played here in IPL 2023. The average run rate here this season has been 9.9.
Here are the stadium stats
As far as the overall record is concerned, chasing teams have won 49 of the 83 IPL games held at this venue. 8.29 reads the average run rate of teams batting first here. In 2017, KKR bundled RCB out for 49 here, the lowest team score in IPL history to date. Chennai Super Kings recently posted the highest team score here, 235/4.
KKR's sensational numbers at this venue
KKR have so far played 78 IPL games here and emerged winners on 46 occasions. No other team has claimed more victories at a particular venue in IPL. While Mumbai Indians (46 at Wankhede Stadium) stand at par with KKR in this regard, CSK (43 at MA Chidambaram) trail them. In IPL 2023, however, KKR have won just one of their four home games.
Who are the key performers?
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has clobbered two fifties in KKR's three home games, striking at 160.46. Sunil Narine boasts 59 wickets in 49 games at this venue (ER: 6.3). PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan has clobbered 289 runs in 12 T20 games here, striking at 118.93. Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar has returned with six wickets in four matches here, conceding runs at 8.25.
What can be the Playing XIs?
KKR (Probable XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (captain), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy. PBKS (Probable XI): Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh. Impact subs: Suyash Sharma and Nathan Ellis.
