The April 26 event heats up, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) battling for points against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This match promises to be exciting since the last matchup between them saw PBKS win while defending the lowest total of 111 runs in IPL 2025. To add to this, they pulled off a huge chase of 262 runs against KKR in the previous season. So for KKR, it is not just about the points; it is personal.
Adding to the drama is Shreyas Iyer, who led KKR to victory last year and will now feature at Eden Gardens draped in PBKS colors. Several matchups among the players deserve attention:
Priyansh Arya vs Vaibhav Arora: Arya has been PBKS’s shining light this season and has been in form. Narrowly escaping an onslaught from Arora, one of the few positives on KKR’s end with the ball.
Andre Russell vs Yuzvendra Chahal: This clash could be quite crucial. Russell has recently regained form and would want to assert himself in the middle. Chahal, too, on a roll, would try to rein in Russell. All in all, Russell has done well against Chahal, plundering 99 runs off 50 deliveries with one dismissal.
Sunil Narine vs Arshdeep Singh: The fire of Narine’s blitz on the new ball could face Arshdeep’s desire to do in one early. These two players will be crucial to their side’s powerplay. Narine has had a good run against Arshdeep, scoring runs easily – 21 ones off 12 balls.
Shreyas Iyer vs Varun Chakaravarthy: In-form Iyer has been raking up runs while taking his team to victory, while Chakaravarthy would be looking to stop him although in the history of IPL he has dismissed Iyer only once giving away 33 runs in the process.
Ajinkya Rahane vs Yuzvendra Chahal: Rahane has been steady for KKR this season gathering 271 runs in eight matches with three half-centuries but has not been great against spin bowlers. Chahal got him out in their last encounter, during which KKR lost some momentum after Rahane’s wicket.
This is a contest that is sure to make fans excited!
