The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is set to witness an exciting match between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 1st, 2023. Both teams will be looking to start their campaign on a positive note, and the match promises to be a thrilling contest.
Punjab Kings, captained by Shikhar Dhawan, have been an inconsistent team in the IPL, often failing to live up to expectations. However, this year, they will be hoping to turn things around and make a mark in the tournament. PBKS has a formidable batting line-up, including the likes of Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Shahrukh Khan. The team will be boosted by the addition of Sam Curran, who can provide a much-needed balance to the side.
However, PBKS will miss the services of Kagiso Rabada and Liam Livingstone, who have opted out of the tournament due to personal reasons. The team will be hoping that their replacements can step up and deliver the goods.
On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders have a good mix of youth and experience in their side. Nitish Rana will lead the team in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. KKR has some of the best T20 players in the world, including Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Varun Chakravarthy.
KKR will be hoping to get off to a good start, and the team will be looking to their star players to deliver the goods. The team has no injury concerns, and they will be fielding a strong playing XI.
The match is set to take place at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali at 3:30 PM IST. The pitch report suggests that the pitch will be good for batting, with an average first-innings total in the last five matches of 172. The pacers are expected to receive ample help, accounting for over 60% of the wickets in the last five matches. Chasing will be the preferred option, with four out of the last five IPL matches being won by the chasing teams.
PBKS has no injury concerns, and their probable playing 11 includes Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, and Rahul Chahar. Kolkata Knight Riders also have no new injury concerns, and their probable playing 11 includes Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Mandeep Singh/N Jagadeesan, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy.
The live streaming of the match will be available on Jio Cinema, and the broadcast will be aired on the Star Sports Network.
Both teams will look to kickstart their IPL campaign on a high note and secure a win in this exciting encounter.
