All the eight teams have played there respective opening matches of the season, and now it is time for the second encounter for both Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab which will be played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Knight Riders registered an impressive win in their opening game over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets. It was “Dre Russ” who starred with the bat and took the game away under their nose.
Winning the toss, skipper Dinesh Karthik opted to chase and his decision backfired him as the Sunrisers openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow stitched 118 runs stand for the opening wickets which set the platform for others to bank upon.
However, the Knight Riders came back strongly to restrict Sunrisers to 181 where at one stage they were looking good enough to breach the 200 run-mark.
In reply, it was Nitish Rana who was holding one end which kept KKr in the game and finally it was Andre Russell’s fireworks (49* off 19) which blemished Sunrisers Hyderabad in the end.
The Gayle Storm took place at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur which meant Kings XIP Punjab registered their first points on the points table in their opening game itself.
Barring the controversial run-out of Jos Buttler and the altercation between Ravichandran Ashwin and him, everything went Punjab’s way and there first ever win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur has definitely boosted their campaign.
However, it won’t be an easy task for Punjab to defeat Kolkata at the Eden Gardens. Kolkata have always relished their opportunities at home and this could well be another happy hunt for them.
Total Played: 23
KKR Won- 15
KXIP Won- 08
This ground has seen many iconic matches taking place, and in IPL the teams chasing have had the best of the conditions. The average fist innings score has been 157 in IPL and the spinners do posses some threat whereas batting is relatively easy on this surface.
Venue:- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Match Timing:- Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 08:00 PM IST
Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR vs KXIP Playing 11 (Probable)
Here’s how both teams might line-up:-
Kolkata Knight Riders
Robin Uthappa, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik, Lockie Ferguson, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
Kings XI Punjab
Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, David Miller, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran/Andrew Tye, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Punjab wins the toss and elects to bowl first
KKR are unchanged
David Miller, Hardus Viljoen and Varun Chakravorthy are the changes in KXIP
Sam Curran makes way for Hardus Viljoen
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and N Pooran are missing out from Kings XI Punjab’s playing11
KKR vs KXIP Dream11 Teams
Players to watch out KXIP:
With Chris Gayle starting the season with a blitz makes things relatively easy for KXIP in the batting department. Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul and just arrived David Miller are other bets to rely upon in the batting unit.
Among the bowlers, Mujeeb and Ashwin made work difficult for RR in the opening game and with Andrew Tye joining the squad their pace trio looks formidable with Mohammad Shami and Ankit Rajpoot already their.
Players to watch out for KKR:
KKR reliance would be on the likes of Nitesh Rana, Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn which comprise their top order. Andre Russell who just blemished SRH in the last game would be the X-Factor here as well.
In the bowling department, a lot will depend on how Kuldeep Yadav performs. Lockie Ferguson, Sunil Narine will hold the key as well for KKR.
Small League Team
Grand League Team
Disclaimer:- This KKR vs KXIP Dream11 prediction is based on our research from various sources, We advise you not to make Dream11 Team as per your discretion and understanding from the squad and playing 11 listed in the article.