The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) square off against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a crucial clash in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the iconic Eden
Gardens in Kolkata. This match is set to be played on Monday, April 6.
The Knights have failed to hit the ground running, having lost back-to-back matches to start their campaign. Ajinkya Rahane and Co. lost to the Mumbai Indians by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium last week. They subsequently returned home to face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens. However, this turned out to be another painful watch for the KKR fans as their favourite team lost by 65 runs.
The road doesn't get any easier as KKR will now face a confident Punjab Kings side, which has won both games they have played so far. They defeated former champions Gujarat Titans by three wickets in New Chandigarh and followed it up with a five-wicket victory versus five-time winners Chennai Super Kings.
Here is KKR’s strongest predicted XI for their game against PBKS:
Top order: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Ajinkya Rahane had some explosive things to say after the last match. He said that his naysayers were jealous of his success. On Monday, he would love to lead his team from the front and get them their first points this season. Finn Allen, on the other hand, has been in impeccable touch, scoring his 65 runs across two games at a strike rate of 270.84. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has scored fifties in the first two games and could be the batter to watch out for as far as the home side is concerned.
Middle order: Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh
KKR's most expensive signing, Cameron Green, is slowly working his way to bowling in the matches. He played the first two games as a specialist batter and scored just 20 runs. However, in the last game, he was unfortunately run-out. Rinku Singh has scored 68 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 147.83. The KKR vice-captain would want to play a key role in helping his team win its first match this season. Ramandeep Singh couldn't live up to his potential last season, and he has not had the best of starts this time around. With Andre Russell retiring, the onus will be on him to finish games for the Knight Riders.
Lower order: Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine
Anukul Roy has bowled well, especially in the last game. However, he was dismissed for a two-ball duck at a crucial stage against Hyderabad. KKR would be expecting more from him with the bat. Sunil Narine might not have been at his best in the last two games, but he has still given the batters a tough time. However, KKR would want their talismanic mystery spinner to get among the wickets.
Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Varun Chakaravarthy also needs to step up for KKR. In two games, he has gone wicketless and conceded runs at an economy rate of 13.17. Vaibhav Arora's performance has also been concerning. In Harshit Rana's absence, he was expected to lead the Indian pace attack, but he has struggled to deliver so far. He has three wickets across two games, but his economy rate is a worrisome 12.38. Kartik Tyagi has put in a lot of effort, which is heartening to see. He needs a bit of support from his fellow bowlers.
KKR's Predicted Playing XI
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora.
Impact Player: Blessing Muzarabani
