IPL 2023 Cricket Prediction | Match 2: Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders at a glance

• In the Punjab squad, Matthew Short has taken the place of the injured Jonny Bairstow.
• Shakib Al Hasan, along with Litton Das, is back in the KKR squad.
• Sam Curran, a bowling all-rounder, brings diversity to the PBKS bowling attack.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Team Preview

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings have finished sixth in the last four seasons, but they appear to have assembled a very formidable roster for the upcoming season. They should be able to get off to a winning start in this game.

Punjab Kings will not be at their best in this encounter with Liam Livingstone ailing and Kagiso Rabada on international duty with South Africa. Yet, they have a strong pool of overseas talent to choose from ahead of their IPL 2023 debut.

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders batting appears to be a tad light ahead of the new season. We anticipate them to struggle in this first game.

Kolkata Knight Riders will be without star keeper-batter Litton Das and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for this game, as Bangladesh finish their T20I series with Ireland on Friday. Shreyas Iyer, the captain, will miss these and upcoming matches due to a recurring back problem.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Team Playing Squads

Punjab Kings Squads

Punjab Kings Squads

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk), Sam Curran, Harpreet Singh, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, and Raj Bawa.

Kolkata Knight Riders Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders Squads

Nitish Rana (c), N Jagadeesan (wk), Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Team Form in Last 5 Matches

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders outfield report

Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium Mohali

With teams batting second winning 61.2% of T20 games at this stadium, we forecast that both captains would want to field first ahead of this game.

The prediction for Saturday afternoon in Mohali is for very humid weather, but no rain is expected to disrupt the match.

This pitch has something for batsmen as well as quick and spin bowlers. In this game, the par total will be about 175-180.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Final Prediction

Winning the toss

• Punjab Kings

Player of the Match

• Punjab Kings – Shikhar Dhawan

Most sixes

• Punjab Kings – Shikhar Dhawan 
• Kolkata Knight Riders – Andre Russell

Most wickets

• Punjab Kings – Arshdeep Singh 
• Kolkata Knight Riders – Lockie Ferguson

Most runs

• Punjab Kings – Shikhar Dhawan
• Kolkata Knight Riders – Nitish Rana

Team Scores Batting First

• Punjab Kings – 180+
• Kolkata Knight Riders – 170+

According to our prediction, Punjab Kings will win this match.