Today, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will roar when Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings clash against each other. It will be the 45th match of IPL 2021 and will begin at 7:30 p.m. IST. KKR won against DC in the last game with more than one over to spare, but PBKS lost their previous match to MI by 6 wickets.
KKR Vs. PBKS- The Match Preview
KKR has won 5 matches out of the 11 games played so far, and they are currently ranked at the 4th position on the leaderboard. On the contrary, PBKS has won 4 of their 11 games, and they are positioned at the 6th rank in the ranking table.
Therefore it is pretty challenging to predict which team will win the match today. Will Eoin Morgan lead KKR one step closer to the semifinals, or will KL Rahul make a solid comeback? Let’s find out.
Off to Dubai in the hunt of another 2⃣ points! 💪#KKRvPBKS #KKR #AmiKKR #KorboLorboJeetbo #আমিKKR #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/XyMHAo2SA5
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) October 1, 2021
In their last match against the Delhi Capitals, KKR won by 3 wickets. DC scored 127 runs, which KKR managed to chase down by the 19th over. But, if we talk about PBKS, their last match results were not in their favor. Though PBKS scored a high run of 135, MI chased it down and equaled the score by the 18th over.
Both KKR and PBKS have faced each other 28 times in the history of IPL, where KKR won 19 matches, and PBKS won the remaining 9 games. In this season’s IPL, KKR and PBKS are meeting each other for the second time. In their last encounter also, KKR defeated PBKS by 5 wickets. KKR will try to dominate PBKS once again on the pitch as it has done before, but we need to see if PBKS makes a comeback or not.
Probable XI Players Of Both Teams
Kolkata Knight Riders:
- Eoin Morgan.
- Shubman Gill.
- Venkatesh Iyer.
- Rahul Tripathi.
- Nitish Rana.
- Dinesh Karthik.
- Sunil Narine.
- Tim Southee.
- Lockie Ferguson.
- Sandeep Warrier.
- Varun Chakravarthy.
Punjab Kings:
- KL Rahul.
- Mayank Agarwal/Mandeep Singh.
- Chris Gayle.
- Aiden Markram.
- Nicholas Pooran.
- Deepak Hooda.
- Harpreet Brar.
- Nathan Ellis.
- Mohammed Shami.
- Ravi Bishnoi.
- Arshdeep Singh.
Key Players To Look Forward To
Shubham Gill: This right-handed batsman is the opener for KKR. So far, he has scored 232 runs in this season’s IPL, which is quite an impressive record. We will expect the same standard of performance from him today as well.
KL Rahul: KL Rahul is a batsman and a wicketkeeper of PBKS.So far in this season’s IPL, he has managed to score 422 runs. PBKS will indeed require him to be in his best form to beat KKR today.
Venkatesh Iyer: This left handed batsman of KKR is also a medium-pacer. With a smashing record of 122 runs and 2 wickets in IPL 2021, his arrival in the KKR squad has significantly turned the wheel of their game.
Mayank Agarwal: Mayank Agarwal is the right-handed batsman of PBKS who opens the innings. With a massive score of 332 runs this season, this batsman will likely start off today’s match with a bang as well.
What We Think
We think the team that gets a chance to bat first today will have a higher chance of winning the match because Dubai International Cricket Stadium helps batters score huge runs. Hence, spinners will be helpful during the middle overs, while pacers will have an advantage in the latter half of the game. As far as our prediction goes, KKR will likely win today’s match, but PBKS may also make a comeback, so let’s hope for the best.
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