Over the years, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and now Punjab Kings (PBKS) have had a few heated battles in their IPL KKR vs PBKS head to head.
One of the most noteworthy clashes between the two teams was in the 2014 IPL final, which Kolkata Knight Riders won. KKR's bowling attack, led by Piyush Chawla, limited Punjab Kings to 199, which KKR easily chased down with 3 overs to spare, due to a magnificent performance by Manish Pandey.
While there have been some exciting matches between KKR and Punjab Kings, it is not a major rivalry in the IPL. Shikhar Dhawan will captain Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the season's sixteenth edition, and they will be hoping for a successful season after reaching the finals in 2014. Since that memorable 2014 season, they have failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on the other hand, did reach the finals in 2021 but have not done well in following seasons.
Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous meeting this season by 7 runs in DLS method. KKR will look for revenge in the upcoming second leg of this fixture. Read on for our detailed KKR vs PBKS head to head.
Can watch Rinku da smile all day, every day 😁 pic.twitter.com/7GEPKZhFZh
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 4, 2023
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KKR vs PBKS head to head
Both teams have played in 31 IPL games thus far, with KKR winning 20 and PBKS winning only 11. Both of these teams met in the 2014 final, which KKR won in thrilling fashion to claim their second title in the tournament. KKR beat PBKS in the sole match they played last season. However, PBKS will be riding on the fact that they just defeated KKR in their previous match this season, and will feel they have an edge in this KKR vs PBKS head to head.
| Matches played | 31 |
| KKR won | 20 |
| PBKS won | 11 |
| Tie | 0 |
KKR vs PBKS match results
Given Kolkata Knight Riders' dominance over Punjab Kings, let's take a look at their match results over the years. KKR, who has a high victory rate in this rivalry, had won eight straight games against Punjab Kings. PBKS, on the other side, has never won two consecutive matches against the Knight Riders. The table below displays the outcomes of all 31 meetings between the two teams.
| Date | Winner | Won By | Venue |
| 01-Apr-2023 | Punjab Kings | 7 Runs | Mohali |
| 01-Apr-2022 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 6 Wickets | Mumbai |
| 01-Oct-2021 | Punjab Kings | 5 Wickets | Dubai |
| 26-Apr-2021 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 5 Wickets | Ahmedabad |
| 26-Oct-2020 | Punjab Kings | 8 Wickets | Sharjah |
| 10-Oct-2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2 Runs | Abu Dhabi |
| 3-May-2019 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 7 Wickets | Mohali |
| 27-Mar-2019 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 28 Runs | Kolkata |
| 12-May-2018 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 31 Runs | Indore |
| 21-Apr-2018 | Punjab Kings | 9 Wickets | Kolkata |
| 9-May-2017 | Punjab Kings | 14 Runs | Mohali |
| 13-Apr-2017 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 Wickets | Kolkata |
| 4-May-2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 7 Runs | Kolkata |
| 19-Apr-2016 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 6 Wickets | Mohali |
| 9-May-2015 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 1 Wicket | Kolkata |
| 18-Apr-2015 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 4 Wickets | Pune |
| 1-Jun-2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 3 Wickets | Bangalore |
| 28-May-2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 28 Runs | Kolkata |
| 11-May-2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 Wickets | Cuttack |
| 26-Apr-2014 | Punjab Kings | 23 Runs | Abu Dhabi |
| 26-Apr-2013 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 6 Wickets | Kolkata |
| 16-Apr-2013 | Punjab Kings | 4 Runs | Mohali |
| 18-Apr-2012 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 Wickets | Mohali |
| 15-Apr-2012 | Punjab Kings | 2 Runs | Kolkata |
| 30-Apr-2011 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 Wickets | Kolkata |
| 4-Apr-2010 | Punjab Kings | 8 Wickets | Kolkata |
| 27-Mar-2010 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 39 Runs | Mohali |
| 3-May-2009 | Punjab Kings | 6 Wickets | Port Elizabeth |
| 21-Apr-2009 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 Runs | Durban |
| 25-May-2008 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 3 Wickets | Kolkata |
| 3-May-2008 | Punjab Kings | 9 Runs | Mohali |
KKR vs PBKS IPL stats
Most runs
In the IPL encounters between these two teams, Gautam Gambhir has scored the most runs (492). Robin Uthappa (438) comes after him. Andre Russel is the only player who still plays for one of these teams from the list of players mentioned here.
| Player name | Runs |
| Gautam Gambhir | 492 |
| Robin Uthappa | 438 |
| Andre Russel | 366 |
| Chris Gayle | 331 |
| Wriddhiman Saha | 322 |
Most wickets
Sunil Narine has taken the most wickets (33) in the KKR vs PBKS head to head, followed by Piyush Chawla (24) and Umesh Yadav (19).
| Player name | Wickets |
| Sunil Narine | 33 |
| Piyush Chawla | 24 |
| Umesh Yadav | 19 |
| Andre Russel | 14 |
| Morne Morkel | 10 |
Best match in the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings head to head
One of the most thrilling encounters between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab took place on April 28, 2019, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
KKR batted first and put up a competitive total of 218 runs for 4 wickets in their 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant innings by Robin Uthappa who scored an unbeaten 67 runs and an unbeaten half-century by Nitish Rana who scored 63 runs. Andre Russell’s 17-ball 48 cameo was the game changer in the first innings.
In response, Punjab Kings did not get off to a flying start as both the openers Chris Gayle and KL Rahul getting out cheaply.
However, once Gayle and Rahul were dismissed, Punjab Kings found it tough to keep up with the required run rate. David Miller played a quick cameo of 59 off 40 balls and Mayank Agarwal’s 58 runs brought some hope, but it was not enough as the team fell short by just 28 runs.
Overall, the match was an exciting contest with some fantastic batting performances from both teams. It showcased the firepower of the KKR batting lineup and the aggressive approach of the Punjab Kings middle order.
It will be an interesting watch for everyone as KKR take on PBKS once again this season.
