Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL Tips

VS
Kolkata Knight Riders

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match Details

  • Date: 2023-04-01
  • Start Time: 15:30
  • Location: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
  • Tournament: Indian Premier League 2023
  • Format: Indian Premier League
  • Tipster: Brian Thorpe

Tip Summary

  • Punjab Kings will be playing under the new captain Shikhar Dhawan as the team released Mayank Agarwal from the squad before the auction.
  • Kolkata Knight Riders also have a change in leadership as their skipper Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out due to injury.
  • KKR are leading the head-to-head records by a good margin as they have scored a win in as many as 20 games while Punjab have ten victories to their name. 

Kolkata Knight Riders will be kick-starting their campaign in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League with a battle against Punjab Kings. The two teams are all set to square off against each other at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 01, Tuesday. 

Both teams are coming into the tournament with some massive changes. Following a torrid run last year, Punjab Kings decided to let go of their skipper Mayank Agarwal and trusted the veteran Shikhar Dhawan to lead the side. The franchise also released Odean Smith and Sandeep Sharma from the squad while they made some big picks in the IPL 2023 mini-auction.

The 2014 finalists shelled out a whopping INR 18.5 crores to gain the services of the English all-rounder Sam Curran for the 2023 season. Punjab ended up with seven wins and as many losses in the 14 league games to finish in sixth place in the points table. The team lacked consistency last year as they lost every alternate game.

As far as Kolkata Knight Riders are concerned, they were also no better with six victories under their belt from 14 league matches. With 12 points, the team finished its campaign in seventh place. Both the bowlers and batters failed to live up to their reputations.

The team was hoping for redemption in the 2023 season as they made full use of the trade window. Kolkata brought Shardul Thakur into the team after trading him from Delhi Capitals while Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were traded from Gujarat Titans. However, they have been dealt with a massive blow as their skipper Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out due to injury. 

In the absence of Iyer, the management is trusting the senior batter Nitish Rana to take them through in the game. Meanwhile, the head-to-head records between Kolkara Knight Riders and Punjab Kings state domination of the former. KKR have won three of their last five games against Shikhar Dhawan & Men. 

3 beneficial player bets for PBKS vs KKR Match 02 Indian Premier League 2023 Match


Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Tips

Top Punjab Kings Batter: Shikhar Dhawan

Top Batter
  • Tip By: Brian Thorpe
  • Tournament: Indian Premier League 2023
  • Date: 2023-04-01
  • Best Odds: 4.75 @ Indibet

With Jonny Bairstow ruled out because of injury concerns, the responsibility of scoring the most runs for the team falls on the shoulders of the skipper Shikhar Dhawan. The opening batter is now the most experienced batter in the side and will have to be at his best from the very first game to ensure a good ride for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League 2023. Dhawan has a phenomenal record in the T20 Championship. So far, he has played a total of 206 IPL matches, scoring 6243 runs at an average of 34.88 and a strike rate of 126.33. He also has two hundred and as many as 47 fifties to his name. The 37-year-old was impressive last year as well as he was the top batter for his team with 460 runs in 14 matches at an average of over 38.00.

Top Kolkata Knight Riders Batter: Nitish Rana

Top Batter
  • Tip By: Brian Thorpe
  • Tournament: Indian Premier League 2023

Following the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders will be feeling a massive gap, and Nitish Rana is expected to fill in. The newly-appointed skipper has been in a good form in the Indian Premier League for the last few years as he has established himself as a backbone for the Knight Riders’ batting unit. The opening batter is now expected to play the role of the anchor as well and prolong his stay in the middle to avoid a collapse of the batting line-up. Rana is coming into the 2023 season after scoring a total of 361 runs last year in 14 games at an average of 27.77 and a strike rate of over 143. The odds are in his favor to be the top batter for his team on Saturday.

Top wicket-taker of the match: Arshdeep Singh

Top Wicket Taker
  • Tip By: Brian Thorpe
  • Tournament: Indian Premier League 2023
  • Date: 2023-04-01
  • Best Odds: 5.0 @ 22Bet

There can be no one better than Punjab Kings’ Arshdeep Singh to be the top bowler on Saturday in the encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders. Singh is truly a find of the Indian Premier League as it was his exploits in the 2021 edition of the tournament that earned him a call-up to the national team. Arshdeep picked a total of 18 wickets in the 14th season at an economy rate of 8.27 to establish himself as the rising star of Indian cricket. The last season saw a dip in the performance of the seamer as he scalped only ten wickets in 14 matches. However, we are backing him to bounce back this season as he is coming into the tournament after a brilliant performance in the T20 World Cup for India.