Punjab Kings has yet to fully adopt Mullanpur’s Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium as its home. The Shreyas Iyer-led team, which has only registered two wins out of the seven games it has played here in the Indian Premier League (IPL), will hope to improve its record when it hosts the Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.
The last time these two teams met, PBKS recorded the highest-ever chase in T20s – 262 runs, with Shreyas, then leading the Knight Riders, at the receiving end. In PBKS’ previous fixture, Sunrisers Hyderabad completed a 246-run chase comfortably, and Shreyas was once again the losing captain.
Shreyas’ tenure as the Kings’ captain in IPL 2025 began with two consecutive wins but has since been followed by two significant losses – one to SRH and the other at home against the Rajasthan Royals.
Bowling woes
Despite having the services of Arshdeep Singh, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20s, PBKS has struggled to control the scoring rate in the PowerPlay, conceding 9.83 runs per over and has the worst average – 73.75. The struggle continues in overs 7-16, where the team has given away 10.64 runs every six balls – the worst this season. To make things worse, Lockie Ferguson wobbled off the field in Hyderabad and is out of contention indefinitely.
Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal hasn’t looked like the bowler his credentials over the years suggest. In five innings, Chahal has picked two wickets while having an economy of 11.13.
Punjab Kings bowler Yuzvendra Chahal in action.
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SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR / The Hindu
Punjab Kings bowler Yuzvendra Chahal in action.
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SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR / The Hindu
According to the Kings’ assistant coach, James Hopes, Chahal needs to be brought into the game more than he has been, indicating he could be bowling more in the first half of the innings than the latter.
PBKS’ powerful batting
The Kings, though, has tried to balance its lackluster bowling with aggressive batting, which has worked so far. Led by Shreyas himself, alongside young Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, PBKS has the highest run rate in the PowerPlay – 11.4.
Shreyas has upgraded his power-hitting game – he has hit a six every six balls instead of 17 in IPL 2024. He is already amongst the top run-getters this season, having made 250 runs at an average of 83 and a strike rate of 208.33.
Solid bowling attack
On the eve of the match, all-rounder Ramandeep Singh re-iterated a popular theory that suggests that batters win matches and bowlers win tournaments. And it has been the case with KKR’s bowling performance this season, which has kept the team floating so far.
KKR’s spinners against PBKS’ batting could steer where the game will head.
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The team comes into this game on the back of a dominating win over Chennai Super Kings, where the spinners – Moeen Ali, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakaravarthy – bowled 12 overs for 45 and picked six wickets between them. Narine shrugged away a quiet start to the season, picking three wickets against CSK, but more importantly, he found his control back.
Kolkata Knight Riders spinners Sunil Narine (left) and Varun Chakaravarthy will hold key.
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K.R. DEEPAK / The Hindu
Kolkata Knight Riders spinners Sunil Narine (left) and Varun Chakaravarthy will hold key.
| Photo Credit:
K.R. DEEPAK / The Hindu
Even though spinners might lead the Knight Riders’ bowling attack, Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora’s pair has done well with the new ball to restrict the opposition batters from going big in the PowerPlay. While Arora has extracted swing on offer, Rana’s hit-the-deck deliveries and off-cutters have worked well in favour of KKR.
Hit-and-miss batting
The batters are yet to live up to their potential. Captain Ajinkya Rahane has made good use of the fielding restrictions early on but has struggled to maintain that momentum through the middle overs. Rahane strikes at 200 in the first six overs, which drops to 117 once the field spreads out.
One of KKR’s major concerns is Andre Russell’s underwhelming form with the bat. He’s managed just 17 runs across four innings, with a highest score of only seven. If the situation calls for it, KKR might consider pushing him up the order to help him find rhythm and confidence.