Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) play their second consecutive home game when they take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Eden Gardens in Match 12 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday, April 6.
Both sides come into the game on the back of contrasting fortunes. KKR have suffered two defeats in their opening two matches of the new season. They recently lost by 65 runs at home to Sunrisers Hyderabad, after bundling out for just 161, chasing 227.
PBKS, on the other hand, have won both of their
opening games. After starting the season with a victory over the Gujarat Titans, they topped it off by beating the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, after chasing down 210 in 18.4 overs.
Both KKR and PBKS played each other twice in 2025, with last year’s finalists winning one, while the other game at the Eden Gardens was called off due to rain. The Punjab side did manage to get their 20 overs completed, where they posted 201 on the board, thanks to a 120-run opening partnership forged by Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, with the pair scoring 83 and 69 respectively. In reply, KKR only managed to play one over before the weather intervened.
The Eden Gardens has become a significant part of the two sides’ IPL history. The iconic stadium saw PBKSrecord the highest successful run chase in IPL and T20 history, when they chased down 262 in just 18.4 overs in 2024 against KKR.
Eden Gardens Pitch Report
The Eden Gardens pitch has drastically changed over the years. Earlier, the wicket was known to aid bowlers, particularly the spinners, during KKR’s initial success under Gautam Gambhir during the early 2010s.
In recent times, however, Eden Gardens has transformed and become an excellent batting wicket, with scores above 200 becoming a common phenomenon. The pitch can get even better for the chasing team under the floodlights.
IPL Stats and Records at the Eden Gardens
| Matches Played |
101 |
| Matches Won Batting First |
43 |
| Matches Won Batting Second | 57 |
| Matches With No Result | 01 |
| Matches Tied | 00 |
| Average First Innings Score | 170 |
| Highest Team Total | 262 |
| Highest Total Successfully Chased | 262 |
KKR vs PBKS Strategies and Match-ups
Both KKR and PBKS have a very strong batting lineup, with hard-hitting batters up and down the batting order. Despite not coming off in the first two matches, the Knight Riders are expected to back their spinners in Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. PBKS, on the other hand, rely on their seam bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Marco Jansen, and Vijaykumar Vyshak for wickets, with Yuzvendra Chahal being their solitary spinner.
The IPL head-to-head record between the two sides currently favours KKR. The three-time champions have 21 out of their total 35 meeting with PBKS ever since their first encounter back in 2008. Shreyas Iyer’s side, however, does have a better match-up in recent times, winning three out of their last five completed games against the 2024 champions.
