Punjab Kings come in with a new captain and a new coach yet again. Shikhar Dhawan takes the reins this time as Punjab looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. On the other side, KKR is struggling with injuries of their own as Shreyas Iyer misses out with a back injury leaving Nitish Rana to lead the side.

PBKS vs KKR Match Details

Date: April 1st, 2023

Time:  3:30 PM IST

Venue: Mohali

PBKS vs KKR Weather Report

Dry weather and a lot of heat are expected while dew could also play a role as the game progresses.

PBKS vs KKR Pitch Report

Big outfields and a flat pitch are usually what connects with the Mohali track. The same could be said about the upcoming game as well with Mohali good for sides batting second.

PBKS vs KKR Head-to-Head

Stats	Matches	KKR Won	PBKS Won	NR
Overall	30	20	10	0
At Mohali	7	4	3	0
In the last Five Matches	5	3	2	0
In 2022	1	1	0	0

PBKS vs KKR Predicted Playing XI

PBKS Playing XI

Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Shah Rukh Khan, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Sharma

KKR Playing XI

N Jagadeeshan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav

PBKS vs KKR Key Players

Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza finally gets an IPL deal. He has been in really good form over the last two years and deservedly got his call-up. Now, with Sikandar Raza likely to fight for his spot with Liam Livingstone, opportunities may be few and that will leave Raza with a lot to do.

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana has been with the Knight Riders for a really long time and is a vital part of their line-up. Now, with an interesting turn of events, Rana will be leading the side. His batting form has been good over the last couple of years and it will be interesting to see what leadership does to his batting.

PBKS’s Top Five Batters Last Season

Players	Matches	Runs	Average
Shikhar Dhawan	14	460	38.33
Liam Livingstone	14	437	36.41
Jonny Bairstow	11	253	223
Jitesh Sharma	12	234	29.25
Bhanuka Rajapaksha	9	206	22.88

KKR’s Top Five Batters Last Season

Players	Matches	Runs	Average
Shreyas Iyer	14	401	30.84
Nitish Rana	14	361	26.22
Andre Russell	14	335	37.22
Venkatesh Iyer	12	182	16.54
Rinku Singh	7	174	34.22

PBKS’s Top Five Bowlers Last Season

Players	Matches	Wickets	Average
Kagiso Rabada	13	23	28
Rahul Chahar	14	14	26
Arshdeep Singh	14	10	38
Rishi Dhawan	6	6	26
Liam Livingstone	14	6	34

KKR’s Top Five Bowlers Last Season

Players	Matches	Wickets	Average
Andre Russell	14	17	17
Umesh Yadav	16	16	21
Tim Southee	13	14	19.64
Sunil Narine	14	9	34
Pat Cummins	5	7	31

PBKS vs KKR Rivalries to Watch out For

Arshdeep Singh vs Andre Russell: KKR’s premier finisher vs a death bowler who can nail yorkers with ease is a match-up to watch out for. They have only faced off for six deliveries with Andre Russell taking him for 16 runs and also getting out to him once.

PBKS vs KKR Match Tips

Both PBKS and KKR have injury concerns and new captains. Going by team balance PBKS look stronger still, but KKR is not a team to take likely, and with their impact players, they could create some surprises.

Match Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders Win the Match