Punjab Kings Vs Kolkata Knight Riders Players
Punjab Kings will look to put their recent losses behind them when they host Kolkata Knight Riders at Chandigarh’s New PCA Stadium this Sunday, hoping for three straight victories against them.
The punjab kings vs kolkata knight riders players battle will be crucial, as both sides rely on their key performers to make the difference.
Shreyas Iyer will lead his side and hopes to prove himself against his former team. He has shown impressive form with the bat.
| # | Date | Venue / Stage | Punjab Kings (PBKS) – Score & Result | Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – Score & Result | Highlights & Notables |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 15, 2025 | IPL 2025 (Mullanpur) | PBKS: 111 all out – defended brilliantly and won by 16 runs | KKR: 95 all out – collapsed in chase | Historic: lowest total ever defended in IPL history; Yuzvendra Chahal (4/28) & Marco Jansen (3/17) starred (Reuters, NDTV Sports) |
| 2 | April 26, 2024 | IPL 2024 (Eden Gardens) | PBKS: 262/2 (18.4 overs) – chased down 261, won by 8 wickets | KKR: 261/6 set massive target | Became IPL’s highest successful chase; Jonny Bairstow scored an unbeaten 108 off 48 balls (Reuters, NDTV Sports, IPL) |
| 3 | May 8, 2023 | IPL 2023 | PBKS: 179/7 (full 20 overs) | KKR: 182/5, won by 5 wickets | Tight chase by KKR; Rinku Singh’s cameo highlight (Sportskeeda, Reddit) |
| 4 | April 1, 2023 | IPL 2023 | PBKS: 191/5 (DLS target) – won by 7 runs (DLS) | KKR: 146/7 (reduced overs) | PBKS defended via DLS method in rain-affected fixture (Sportskeeda, Reddit) |
| 5 | April 1, 2022 | IPL 2022 | PBKS: 137 all out | KKR: 141/4, won by 6 wickets | KKR chased down modest total with ease (Sportskeeda) |
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer, an outstanding middle-order batsman and India international in all formats of cricket, is well known for his aggressive stroke play and leadership. A member of India’s Champions Trophy winning squad in 2025, he now plays domestic cricket for Mumbai while captaining Punjab Kings in Indian Premier League tournaments.
Iyer was born and educated at Don Bosco High School and Podar College before devoting himself full time to cricket. His first team was the Delhi Daredevils where he quickly established himself as an outstanding performer; breaking records such as highest bid in IPL auction 2015 as well as becoming regular member of India national team and also holding record for most runs scored during an IPL season (Iyer holds this distinction too!). Additionally, Iyer has received praise for his aggressive hitting style.
After an impressive showing in Indian white-ball competitions, Iyer was appointed captain of KKR for the 2024 Indian Premier League season. He led them to victory and is still the only captain who has taken two different teams to IPL finals! Unfortunately he was dropped for Ranji Trophy competition but has since returned back to KKR.
Iyer has been in outstanding form for PBKS this season, scoring 97 runs, 52 runs, and 82 runs in his first three innings this year – giving PBKS confidence heading into Tuesday’s match against their former side.
KKR have struggled this season with their batting and have only won three out of their eight matches so far. To secure qualification for the playoffs and stay in contention for top four position, Iyer will need to help KKR return to form in their batting department.
Priyansh Arya
Priyansh Arya, 24, made an immediate impactful debut for Punjab Kings this IPL season with his left-handed opening batsman talent. Arya earned himself an eye-catching three-figure contract as part of their 2025 auction bid and showcased an aggressive style against world-class bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan – taking down both with ease! Arya also represented India ‘A’ Under-19s against whom they narrowly failed in qualifying for 2024 U-19 World Cup qualifying tournament.
At Eden Gardens against KKR, Arya and Prabhsimran Singh opened up with an unstoppable 120-run opening wicket partnership for both openers. On a sluggish track, Arya took full advantage of his aggression to attack all bowlers to all parts of the ground, from Varun Chakravarthy slog-sweeping him slog sweeping and Harshit Rana late cuts with deft late cuts hitting sixes during his short innings.
Arya scored his 39-ball century by hitting seven fours and nine sixes while leading Punjab to 219-6. Additionally, Arya shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 105 runs with Devon Conway who smashed 69 off 49 balls; together these efforts enabled Punjab to fall only 18 runs short in their run chase attempt.
KKR will hope their inconsistent batting line-up can bring their IPL campaign back on track when they face Punjab Kings in a high-stakes match on Tuesday. Captain Shreyas Iyer will look to maintain his good form at the crease while others like Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Rinku Singh may get their chance. KKR need big hitting from their lower middle order batsmen like Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock.
Nehal Wadhera
Nehal Wadhera is an impressive young batsman who has quickly made an impressionful debut into domestic cricket. His early success at junior levels attracted national notice, and since he has established himself as an integral member of Punjab team. A middle-order batsman who can use aggressive strokes and anchor innings, Nehal is often compared with Yuvraj Singh due to his style; being able to handle pressure has only helped further his progression.
He was born in Ludhiana, an Indian city famous for producing cricketers of high caliber. His family’s influence has been significant on his life and career path; they encouraged him to follow his dreams.
After attending a renowned institution for schooling and balancing studies with cricket commitment, his early inspirations included Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma whose attacking batting styles served as models.
Nehal’s role against Rajasthan Royals was pivotal in saving their innings from a slow start, sharing a partnership with Glenn Maxwell before scoring his maiden fifty of the season.
Nehal is known to possess strong mental game capabilities and good attitude towards cricket; crediting Coach Ricky Ponting with teaching him how to remain calm when under pressure situations.
On Saturday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders will play Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings with high stakes at stake; victory would boost KKR’s playoff chances and defeat could spell disaster for their season. Both teams are fighting hard for top four positions so this match holds great significance and should provide plenty of entertainment!
Prabhsimran Singh
Prabhsimran Singh has taken his game to another level this season and is closing in on national selection. The explosive wicketkeeper-batsman from Punjab has been central to their team’s success this year and his rise has been nothing short of spectacular – his story one of perseverance and passion which inspires many young cricketers.
Prabhsimran was the opening batter for KKR against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday and his 91-ball innings, featuring six fours and seven sixes, set the foundation for victory in an important win for them. Following the match, his father Surjit asked whether or not “Simmu” had won Player of the Match award.
He has been exceptional this season for the Kings, leading the run scoring charts of the competition and helping them defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore last week in an unforgettable comeback victory – which helped the franchise rise up the points table to second position!
His ability to smash the ball was key in why the Kings decided to retain him ahead of this year’s auction. So impressed were they with his raw talent that they set aside INR 4.80 crore for him. Head coach Ricky Ponting has always shown immense faith in his talents, encouraging him to build his innings.
The over begins with a short, wide delivery on middle and leg that Priyansh blocks at third man for a dot ball. A fuller delivery then follows that is hit towards covers by Prabhsimran for a single. When the next ball arrives, Priyansh attempts a switch-hit but misses entirely and is caught behind for another dot ball; to close out the over, Gurbaz punched away his fuller one leg delivery by punching away at long off for another dot ball.
Shashank Singh
Shashank Singh has become the star batsman Punjab Kings have been waiting for. After accidentally picking him in an auction – an honest mistake on my part! – what initially seemed like a miscalculation has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for 32-year-old Shashank.
He has become an essential component of their successful campaign this season with explosive finishers at number six and seven helping defend modest totals while mounting chases as needed; his strike rate currently stands at 161 with excellent comeback abilities when needed!
He has proven his worth as an outstanding fielder as well, his leg-breaks having caused tremendous damage this season. A vital member of the side, he will look to continue his good form against KKR.
The battle between KKR and PKKS will be an essential one as both teams battle to remain in playoff contention. A win for KKR would restore their playoff hopes while an upset victory from PKKS could put them in an advantageous position to advance to further rounds.
Both teams have injury concerns ahead of this matchup. Moeen Ali of KKR has been ruled out with a hamstring strain, while Spencer Johnson remains uncertain for selection. Other than these two setbacks, however, their squad should remain unchanged from last week’s win against SRH with minor changes expected to take place in terms of bowling department personnel such as replacing Yuzvendra Chahal with Azmat Omarzai to see better performances over his remaining matches and maintaining their unblemished home record.
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