The 44th match of IPL 2025 promises plenty of action as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens on April 26. With both teams eager to stay in playoff contention, the stakes couldn’t be higher. KKR are currently languishing near the bottom of the table, managing just three wins from eight outings.
They head into this clash desperate for a turnaround after a disappointing 39-run loss to the Gujarat Titans. Despite the defeat, Ajinkya Rahane stood out with a resilient half-century and will be key to KKR’s hopes of bouncing back on home turf.
On the other hand, PBKS find themselves in a relatively better position, sitting fifth with five wins from eight games. However, their recent seven-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru exposed a few concerns, even though Prabhsimran Singh’s 33-run knock provided some spark.
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Punjab will be eyeing a quick recovery to solidify their playoff hopes, while Kolkata will look to draw energy from their home crowd and their superior head-to-head record. Historically, KKR have dominated this fixture, winning 21 of the 33 encounters. However, with form fluctuating for both sides, this one could go down to the wire.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR finally handed Rahmanullah Gurbaz a game at the top, but despite his quiet outing, they are likely to persist with him for now. Venkatesh Iyer hasn’t quite lit up IPL 2025 either, yet his presence in the middle order gains importance—especially considering Ajinkya Rahane’s poor returns against spin this season. Interestingly, Iyer also enjoys a solid record against Yuzvendra Chahal. Speaking of which, Andre Russell could be KKR’s trump card against Chahal, having smashed 99 runs off just 50 balls against the leggie in previous IPL encounters.
Probable XII: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali/Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
PBKS, despite their recent defeat, might resist making changes to a relatively stable XI. With the Eden Gardens pitch potentially assisting spin, Kolkata’s trio—Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Moeen Ali—will be crucial. In this context, Shreyas Iyer’s role for Punjab becomes vital. He’s yet to fall to spin in IPL 2025 and boasts a staggering strike rate of nearly 196 against them this season.
Probable XII: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar/Vyshak Vijaykumar
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Ajinkya Rahane, Priyansh Arya, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine (c), Marco Jansen, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Priyansh Arya (c), Sunil Narine, Marco Jansen, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Yuzvendra Chahal
