- Match prediction: Punjab Kings to win
- Toss prediction: KKR to win the toss and bowl first
The first of the many double headers in IPL 2023 will feature the Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. This day game in Mohali will have the two sides playing their first match of the season. KKR have named Nitish Rana as their skipper for this season while Punjab too have a new captain in Shikhar Dhawan. Read on for our in-depth IPL prediction, as our experts offer up their PBKS vs KKR predictions ahead of this match.
- Date and time: April 1, 3:30 PM IST
- Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Contents
Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders match preview
Punjab Kings
𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝! 🎯
Sadda 🦁 @atharva_taide14 showing off his big hitting. 💪#JazbaHaiPunjabi #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/sWQ35SQ9Qm
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 31, 2023
Punjab Kings will be led by Shikhar Dhawan and boast of the biggest buy in the history of the IPL in Sam Curran. The England all-rounder’s form could be crucial to how their season pans out. They have an attacking group of batters right from the top of the order and would bank on their long batting, especially on roads, to counter the opposition. Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis and Bhanuka Rajapaksa are all but certain to be three of the four overseas players. Kagiso Rabada will be unavailable at the start of the season. Sikandar Raza could play if Liam Livingstone is unavailable.
PBKS possible 11: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar
Kolkata Knight Riders
Season Opener tomorrow, tell us your favourites! ⤵️😎#AmiKKR #KKR #TATAIPL2023 pic.twitter.com/z0had7GUie
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 31, 2023
KKR are thin on batting for this Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders match up, with the injury to permanent skipper Shreyas Iyer. Narayan Jagadeesan is likely to open the batting with the aggressive Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The key for KKR would once again be Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. However, in Mohali, they will bank on Umesh Yadav for some early assistance.
KKR possible 11: N Jagadeesan (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
Pitch and expected weather conditions
The match is slated to take place at Mohali's PCA Stadium, usually known for steep bounce and fast outfields, aiding run-scoring. The surface is expected to be in favour of the batters, and our PBKS vs KKR prediction is we could be in for a high-scoring game. There is no danger of rain, and the weather is predicted to be pleasant. Being a day game, dew is also unlikely to be a factor, further increasing the possibility of a high-scoring match. Fast bowlers could still find juice from the surface early on and both teams will want to exploit that to stay on top early on.
PBKS vs KKR Dream11 prediction
Our PBKS vs KKR Dream11 prediction for this match:
- Wicket keeper(s): N Jagadeesan
- Batter(s): Shikhar Dhawan, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana
- All-rounder(s): Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sam Curran
- Bowler(s): Tim Southee, Arshdeep Singh, Umesh Yadav, Nathan Ellis
- Recommended captain: Andre Russell
- Recommended vice-captain: Sam Curran
KKR are likely to go in with Narayan Jagadeesan as their opener, making him a better pick in your Dream11 side than a volatile pick like Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Shikhar Dhawan has been on the sidelines from the Indian team and will want to prove a point, making him a good pick, especially on a flat surface with a side where he is expected to play the anchor role.
You can build your team around the all-rounders – Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Sam Curran. Liam Livingstone’s participation is unclear for the first game, but should he be available, he should replace one of Nitish Rana or Rinku Singh in your team.
Banking on two all-rounders as captains would be a safer option given that they could contribute in one of the two disciplines. Sam Curran is likely to bowl his entire quota of overs and can be pushed up the order in this Punjab Kings line-up where there is a shortage of left-handers. Russell, meanwhile, is KKR’s superstar batter and bowler and is a no-brainer as captain.
Match prediction: PBKS to win
It's a rivalry that KKR have dominated, but we say PBKS will get across the line here. While KKR have two of the best all-rounders in the league, with Shreyas Iyer out of the tournament with an injury and their batting resources looking muddled, Punjab Kings are favourites to win this game. They have a well-rounded attack for the conditions and have an array of attacking batters capable of destroying the KKR bowling attack.
Toss prediction: KKR to win the toss and bowl first
KKR will want to bowl first should they win the toss given the initial unfamiliarity with the conditions. The Nitish Rana-led side are testing new combinations and would not want to expose a weak batting line-up first up against Punjab Kings.
Man of the match prediction: Sam Curran
The wicket will be a new one in the initial stages of the tournament and the ball could move around early in the Powerplay, bringing Sam Curran’s left-arm pace into the equation. The England all-rounder is also a left-field choice to bat inside the top 4 and could swing his bat around for a few quick runs. His current form goes in favour of him and we could see Curran win the Player of the Match.
Betting Odds
- Punjab Kings: 4/5 (1.80)
- Kolkata Knight Riders: Evens (2.00)
Punjab Kings are favourites to win this match, with odds slightly ahead of KKR. However, the bookies are basically picking this one to be neck and neck, given how close these two teams are and how many unknowns exist in game one of the season. Bottom line is, whatever your PBKS vs KKR prediction, it's going to be tight.