By Chirag - Apr 26, 2025 08:25 AM
At the legendary Eden Gardens, the Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings square off in a high-stakes match to continue the Indian Premier League 2025. The two sides are separated by four points on the table, with PBKS sitting fifth with 10 points from 8 matches, while defending champions KKR have struggled to find form and are seventh with 6 points.
In their most recent face-off on April 15, Punjab emerged victorious in a low-scoring thriller, defending just 111 runs. Both teams are looking to bounce back after defeats in their previous outings. KKR lost to Gujarat Titans by 39 runs despite skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s fighting fifty, while PBKS were handed a seven-wicket defeat by RCB in Mullanpur.
The conditions in Kolkata are expected to remain clear and dry, with temperatures around 28-30°C during match hours. There is no significant rain threat, ensuring a full game.
The Eden Gardens surface has traditionally been batting-friendly, offering good bounce and carry. However, spinners and slower bowlers often come into play in the second innings. The average first-innings score this season has hovered around 170-185. Chasing might get tricky if the pitch slows down in the latter stages.
Punjab have had the upper hand in recent years, winning three of the last five encounters, including both matches in 2024 and the latest one in 2025. Notably, PBKS chased down 262 at Eden Gardens last year, setting a record for one of the highest chases in IPL history.
1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), 2. Sunil Narine, 3. Ajinkya Rahane (C), 4. Venkatesh Iyer, 5.Rinku Singh, 6. Moeen Ali, 7. Andre Russell, 8. Ramandeep Singh, 9. Harshit Rana, 10. Vaibhav Arora, 11. Varun Chakravarthy
Impact Players: 1. Anukul Roy, 2. Manish Pandey, 3. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 4. Luvnith Sisodia, 5. Rovman Powell
1. Priyansh Arya, 2. Prabhsimran Singh (WK), 3. Shreyas Iyer (C), 4. Josh Inglis (WK), 5. Nehal Wadhera, 6. Shashank Singh, 7. Marcus Stoinis, 8. Marco Jansen, 9. Yuzvendra Chahal, 10. Xavier Bartlett, 11. Arshdeep Singh
Impact Players: 1. Harpreet Brar, 2. Glenn Maxwell, 3. Vyshak Vijaykumar, 4. Pravin Dubey, 5. Suryansh Shedge
Based on current form, recent head-to-head dominance, and individual player performances, Punjab Kings slightly edge out Kolkata in this contest. While KKR have the home advantage and firepower in all departments, their inconsistency has been a concern. Punjab’s bowling unit has been more reliable, and their top-order batters have shown the ability to take games away.
AI Predicted Winner: Punjab Kings (PBKS) – Probability: 56%
However, given Eden Gardens' reputation for high-scoring thrillers and the presence of game-changers like Russell and Narine, KKR cannot be written off.
Also Read: IPL 2025 CSK vs SRH: Ishan Kishan Records Against CSK
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