Kolkata Knight Riders will welcome the Punjab Kings on Saturday, April 26, at Eden Gardens for the 44th encounter of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kolkata  Knight Riders will take on Punjab Kings in the 44th match of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). The game will be played on Saturday, April 26, at 7:30 PM (IST) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

KKR is in a vulnerable situation with only three victories and five defeats from eight games. They lost to the Gujarat Titans in a 39-run home game earlier this week. Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh's form is affecting the defending champions. The team would lose all their momentum if they lost again.

Punjab Kings, on the other hand, are placed just outside the top four in the points table. They have five victories and three defeats after eight games. They lost seven wickets in their previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer started the 2025 IPL on a great note, but has struggled in recent games. The Mumbai batsman will be looking to return to the big game on Saturday and guide his side from the front.

The two sides contested a close, low-scoring first match of the season at Mullanpur. PBKS defended a target of 112 runs and won by 16 runs, the lowest in IPL history.

Match Preview

Kolkata Knight Riders

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have faced a hard struggle so far – only three victories in eight games, five defeats, and they are now seventh in the table. For the first time this season, they have lost back-to-back games, most recently a crushing 39-run home defeat to Gujarat Titans. The side seems drained.

The batting order has not helped them either. Apart from captain Ajinkya Rahane, the others have been poor. Quinton de Kock was replaced by Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the previous match, but the Afghan wicket-keeper scored just one point on his season's debut.

Sunil Narine's performance at the top has been inconsistent, and both Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh are finding it difficult to cope with the slower pitches. Andre Russell has played some excellent shots, but overall hasn't been nearly as good as he has been in the past. Ramandeep Singh hasn't contributed much as yet, although he has played a number of shots.

One of the rare positives is Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The young player had scored 197 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 149.24 and an average of 38.71 runs. KKR's practice of shuffling him around the order hasn't been of much assistance in terms of stability.

The bowling picked up slightly. Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora managed the early spells well, claiming 20 wickets between them. The spinners Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Moeen Ali asserted some control during the middle overs. Russell, even with his quite pedestrian batting technique with his cutters, can still prove useful on this wicket.

Punjab Kings

Captain Shreyas Iyer's leadership and batting prowess are crucial to the team's ambitions. He has scored 3,390 IPL runs. Young talent Priyansh Arya has made an immediate impact, scoring over 250 runs this season and notching over 200 strikeouts. He is complemented by Prabhsimran Singh as a solid opening batting partner.

The middle order is strengthened by Australian wicketkeeper and batsman Josh Inglis and his stability with the bat and behind the stumps. Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh, two powerful strikers, provide depth and versatility.

Wadhera scored 241 runs with two half-centuries in his IPL debut season in 2023. Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen further improve the team's overall balance.

Stoinis scored a convincing 34-run knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jansen took three wickets in the return match against Kolkata this season.

Harpreet Brar's left-arm spin was instrumental in controlling the middle overs. He has taken three wickets in his two IPL matches this season.

Arshdeep Singh's left-arm pace continues to be a key asset in the bowling attack, with 87 wickets in his IPL career. The spin department is bolstered by Yuzvendra Chahal's leg-spin. He has taken eight wickets in his last four IPL bowling innings.

Pitch Report

The Eden Gardens in Kolkata has proven to be a solid venue in the recent IPL seasons, with three out of four matches this year seeing 198 runs or more scored in the first innings. The pitch typically provides a reliable pace and bounce, and early swings tend to favor the pacers during the powerplay. A standout moment was when the Punjab Kings set a record by scoring 262 runs at this venue in 2024 against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Toss Prediction

Out of the four matches played at Eden Gardens during the 2025 IPL, three were won by the team that batted first, highlighting the advantage of batting first in this venue.

Weather Report

On match day, expect humidity and heat to be the main weather players, with temperatures likely around 30 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, there’s no rain in the forecast.

Head to Head

These teams have faced off in 34 matches so far, with KKR taking the lead by winning 21 of them, while PBKS has managed to secure 13 victories.

Venue Details

At Eden Gardens, the average score in the first innings has been around 167 runs. This IPL season, only one match truly turned out to be a batting paradise. The other three games leaned towards slower conditions, but they still allowed for decent scoring. If the pitch ends up being slow again like in the last match, teams will likely set their sights on scoring between 180 and 190 runs to stay competitive.

Match Prediction

The defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, have struggled to meet expectations this season. If they don’t start racking up wins soon, their campaign could be in jeopardy. On the flip side, the Punjab Kings have performed better overall but are currently in a slump. KKR will be eager to take advantage of this situation. Punjab's top order hasn’t quite hit its stride yet, and if Eden Gardens serves up another slow pitch, they might find it challenging. However, Kolkata has its own issues to deal with – a batting lineup that isn’t quite clicking and a bowling unit that’s been shaky. Given their recent performances, Punjab appears to be the safer bet.

We’re backing the Punjab Kings to take this match.

Betting Tips

KKR is currently grappling with finding the right mix, and many of their seasoned foreign players are having a tough time. The Punjab Kings have also been a bit hit-or-miss, but we think they have the edge over the Knight Riders. With greater depth in their lineup, their batters are sure to enjoy the conditions at Eden Gardens. Interestingly, the fact that PBKS is still seen as an underdog by top bookmakers creates a significant opportunity that shouldn’t be overlooked. The odds for KKR against PBKS stand at 51% in favor of PBKS.

Bet on PBKS.

Probable Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.

Punjab Kings Playing XI

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Kolkata Knight Riders Key Players

Ajinkya Rahane has been in great touch as a batsman in the present season of the tournament. He made 271 runs in eight innings with an unbeaten score and had an average run of 38.71 runs, making two half-centuries.

Harshit Rahane has claimed 11 wickets in eight matches with a remarkable bowling strike rate of 14.72, and his best match has been "three wickets for only 25 runs in a match." He is also among the fantasy team's best choices for this match.

Spencer Johnson achieved only one wicket in his four matches for KKR during the 2025 IPL and was unable to meet his team's expectations.

Punjab Kings Key Players

Arshdeep Singh took eleven wickets in eight matches, with a strike rate of 15.81, including a best of three wickets for 43 runs in a match. He is also the top wicket-taker for PBKS in the ongoing tournament season.

Shreyas Iyer has been his side's top batsman during the current IPL 2025. He is now his team's top run-getter during the tournament with 263 runs from eight games, is twice unbeaten, and has a wonderful batting average of 43.83.