Match No. 12 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will witness Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a thrilling encounter between bat and ball at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, April 06.
Kolkata Knight Riders have been in a poor run of form, having tasted defeats in both their games of the season thus far. They opened their campaign with a loss against Mumbai Indians and then also lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad. In a bid to get their campaign on the winning track,
KKR would certainly not mind having a home crowd cheer for them.
Punjab Kings, on the contrary, have been absolutely sensational with their gameplay and strategy in IPL 2026. Opening their account against Gujarat Titans with a last-over run chase, PBKS followed it up with a far more comprehensive victory against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai. They would want to make it a hat-trick of wins.
KKR vs PBKS: Match Details
| Match | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, Match 12, IPL 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Monday, April 06, 7:30 PM |
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming Details | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Pitch Report
The Eden Gardens in Kolkata is one of the most iconic venues in the country, and when it hosts the game between KKR and PBKS, runs are expected to come from both ends. The boundary dimensions have been reduced in the recent past, but the venue still boasts one of the difficult surfaces to clear the distance. However, spinners, especially those who don't mind giving a little extra bit of air, will find the wicket to be an extremely rewarding one.
KKR vs PBKS: Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | 35 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 21 |
| Won by Punjab Kings | 13 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 01 |
| First-ever Fixture | May 3, 2008 |
| Most-recent Fixture | April 26, 2025 |
KKR vs PBKS: Predicted Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders
Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy
Impact Player: Blessing Muzarabani
Punjab Kings
Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, and Xavier Bartlett
Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal
KKR vs PBKS: Probable Best Performers of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Shreyas Iyer
PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer has been one of the finest batters going on in the current week. He scored a crucial half-century against Chennai Super Kings, cruising his team to an emphatic run chase in Chennai. If he continues to hit the ball with the same intensity, he could well be the difference between the hosts and a win.
Probable Best Bowler: Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has struggled to find form in the ongoing season, with the mystery spinner going for plenty of runs in both the games he has played thus far. However, he is quite familiar with the conditions at the Eden Gardens and has also found a lot of success at the venue. Given the favourable wicket, Chakravarthy has the potential to turn the game in his favour on Monday.
Today's Match Prediction: Team batting first to win the match
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