PBKS vs KKR Match Prediction 2025: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Who will win Today’s IPL Match?

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match 31 Preview

PBKS vs KKR Match Prediction 2025: Both Team’s Recent Form

Punjab Kings started off the tournament on a high with dominating victories over both Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants. However, they have faltered a bit in their last three games with only one win out of the two. Punjab Kings currently sit in the sixth spot with six points after five games. 

Kolkata Knight Riders have been inconsistent in this IPL campaign by failing to win two games on a trot.  However, their recent victory over the Chennai Super Kings should give them confidence and they also have a decent net run rate as they sit fifth spot with six points on board. 

PBKS vs KKR Head to Head Record In IPL 

Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders share a rich history against each other in the Tata IPL with both of them facing each other in the final in 2013 in which KKR emerged victorious. Punjab and Kolkata have faced each other on 33 different occasions in the IPL and Kolkata have held a clear edge over Punjab with 21 win out of these 33 encounters compared to only 12 wins by Punjab. However, the last time these two sides met Punjab chased down the highest total in IPL history of 264. 

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Team Previews

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings enter into the encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders with some big question marks over their bowling after failing to defend 246 in their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.  However, Punjab do boast a fiery and balanced lineup with an explosive batting unit.  Their batters in Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Vadhera and Shashank Singh are in tremendous form while the likes of Marcus Stoinis are gaining their form back.  There is however, a big question mark looming over the form of Glenn Maxwell and whether the team should continue with him or not. It will be interesting to see how Punjab address these issues against KKR. 

Kolkata Knight Riders

Despite being the reigning champions in IPL, the Kolkata Knight Riders this year, seem to have a weakened squad as they’re struggling to deal with the absence of Phil Salt and Shreyas Iyer. Their opening batters in Sunil Narine and Quinton De Kock haven’t been as consistent this year while Andre Russel is also misfiring. However, once again with KKR their performance in match will depend on how well do their spin bowlers in Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine perform and how well does Harshit Rana complement them.

PBKS vs KKR Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh Pitch Report and Weather Report

The weather conditions ahead of the hotly contested encounter between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders seem to be ideal for a cracking contest as there are no signs of rain or storm. The weather will be partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 31-37°C. There is a 0-10% chance of rain and the humidity will be 40%.

The pitch at Mullanpur is a bit tricky one for batters and often a pitch which helps the side batting first. Expect a big scoreline as it is tougher chasing on this ground. In the seven matches played here the team batting first has won 4 matches while the team batting second has won three matches in this relatively new stadium. 

PBKS vs KKR Session Score Based on Scenario

In Scenario 1, the home side Punjab Kings if they win the toss are likely to bat first and aim to put a big score on board and take the game away from Kolkata Knight Riders. 

In Scenario 2, if Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss, they are expected to field first as the side likes chasing and will want to trap Punjab batters early on. 

In both the scenarios, Punjab Kings are expected to win given the balance of both sides. 

PBKS vs KKR Match Prediction: Predicted Playing XI

Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XI

Prabhsimran Singh (wk) Shreyas Iyer (c), Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal

Injury Concerns: Lockie Ferguson

Impact Subs: Suryansh Shegde, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpeet Brar, Vyshakh Vijay

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI

Q de Kock (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana

Injury Concerns: None

Impact Players:  Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Manish Pandey

PBKS vs KKR Match Prediction: Key Performers

Top Batter - Shreyas Iyer

The Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer is in sublime knick of form in this Tata IPL with three half centuries in five innings and has scored an amazing 250 runs in five innings with an average of 50. Shreyas Iyer will have a point to prove against his former side and will want to come out on top against Kolkata Knight Riders, hence he will hold the key.  

Top Bowler - Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy is the bowler to look out for in the matchup between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. In six matches till now, Varun Chakravarthy has picked up a total of eight wickets and he is the most important bowler in the KKR attack. Chakravarthy will be crucial if KKR want to put pressure on Punjab’s power packed batting lineup.
 

PBKS vs KKR Today Match Prediction

Today’s match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders is a hotly anticipated encounter given the spice and drama surrounding Shreyas Iyer. While Kolkata Knight Riders might have better form on their side given the balance of squads, Punjab Kings are predicted to emerge victorious and get their playoff push back on track.  

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