KKR vs PBKS tip-off XI: Raza comes in for Short, no place for Rabada, Suyash for Anukul
IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a must-win game at the Eden Gardens on Monday.
The KKR bowling line-up will have an uphill task against the in-form Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan and the latest keeper-batter sensation Jitesh Sharma.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings boasted with a good bowling attack in which have Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh failed to defend 214/3 as Mumbai Indians cantered home with seven balls to spare.
Ahead of a crucial match, here are a few tip-offs for the match
Sikandar Raza for Matthew Short
No total seems safe on the batting-friendly Kolkata surface. Punjab Kings will likely add Sikandar Raza for Matthew Short. Raza adds value with the bowl and is more reliable with the bat in comparison to Short.
Rabada to wait
With Nathan Ellis performing in every match, it is doubtful that Kagiso Rabada will get a game. Ellis is skiddy and has a knack of taking wickets across all phases, with three scalps apiece in the powerplay, the middle, and the death this season.
Suyash returns
Young leg-spinner Suyash Sharma might make a return into the playing XI in place of Anukul Roy. Even though Suyash has been KKR’s second-best bowler of the tournament, he didn’t play in their win against Sunrisers, but the youngster will return at Eden.
KKR vs PBKS H-2-H
KKR and Punjab Kings have been up against each other 31 times in the IPL. KKR have enjoyed an upper hand in this battle with 20 wins while Punjab have won 11 games against KKR.
KKR vs PBKS predicted playing XI
KKR XI: Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy
Impact role – Suyash Sharma
PBKS XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, M Shahrukh Khan, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Impact player – Nathan Ellis
KKR vs PBKS Squads
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana (c), Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mandeep Singh and Aarya Desai
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh
