IPL 2025, Match 44: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match Preview

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 44th match of the IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens on April 26. 

After having a mixed start in the tournament, KKR have completely lost their track with just one win in last four games. Overall, they have won only three games out of eight and are struggling at the seventh position in the points table. They are coming after a 39-run loss against Gujarat Titans in their most recent fixture. KKR are not officially out of the tournament, but Ajinkya Rahane and co. will have to win at least five of their remaining six matches for qualifying for the playoffs.

Speaking about the Punjab Kings, the Shreyas Iyer-led unit has maintained good momentum in this season. They are at the fifth spot in the table with five wins in eight matches. If they manage to win the upcoming game, they will jump to the third position. They lost their previous game against RCB by seven wickets. However, the squad has looked quite strong and balanced this year and they remain one of the contenders for playoffs.

Match Details

Pitch Report

The Eden Gardens pitch is expected to favour the batters. There should be some assistance for spinners as the game goes on. The captain who wins the toss should look to chase.

Head-to-Head Record

KKR and PBKS have played 34 matches against each other so far, with the former winning 21 and the latter 13. 

Predicted Playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact Player: Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Punjab Kings:

Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Player: Harpreet Brar