IPL 2026 has not been going well for the KKR team, losing the first two matches, KKR is in trouble. Though they have found their best XI, the bowling has remained a concern for them. The early injuries and the unavailability of the players, hit them really hard mainly in the bowling department. The 2026 season was meant to be one of the finest but their bowling unit failed apart in this season.
With Kartik Tyagi and Blessing Muzarabani, KKR is trying to give shape to their bowling line-up and the one thing that has hurt them a lot is Varun Chakrabarty’s form. On the other hand, Rahane’s captaincy remained a key concern. If KKR has to come well, they need to sum up their bowling.
What can change KKR’s fate?
KKR relied heavily on their batting. If KKR has to come well, their batting needs to click. Rahane has talked about his batting and he needs to use most of that in the power play. Allen has shown his ability in the first match but fails to continue the rhythm.
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Cameron Green has not really come well and Rinku and Ramandeep are yet to click. With already having problems in their bowling, the batting needs to click otherwise they will face problems in the batting.
Shreyas Iyer will be key in the rivalry
The Punjab Kings captain has one of the finest teams this year and with their captain Shreyas Iyer, in form and Priyansh Arya has also shown what he can do if he unleashes his beast mode. Punjab Kings, has one of the best batting line-ups this year and in front of KKR’s weak bowling line-up, the team can maximise their hitting at the wicket of Eden.
Pitch report
There is a bit of rain forecast today and the bowlers' run-ups at both ends are under a cover each, although they are in the process of being peeled off. But more crucially, it is dry at the moment, with both sets of players going through their warm-up routines. Let's hope it stays that way and we get an uninterrupted game tonight.
Possible Playing XII
Kolkata Knight Riders- Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy/Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora
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Punjab Kings- Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yuzvendra Chahal
