PBKS vs KKR Match 31 IPL 2025 Live Coverage: Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Timeline, Analysis, Cricket Tips and Ball by Ball Prediction

10:38 PM: PBKS wins by 16 runs

Punjab Kings have done the impossible and have successfully defended a score of only 112 runs. The hosts now hold the record for the lowest-ever score defended in the history of the IPL. They have broken the record that stood since 2009. Andre Russell came to the crease in the 11th over at the fall of the fifth wicket. He kept on witnessing the dismissals of batters on the opposite end and was then the last batter to fall to hand the Shreyas Iyer-led unit a historic win.

10:21 PM: Can PBKS do the unthinkable?

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 79/8 after 13 overs. Need 33 runs in 42 balls. Russell: 1* (4), Vaibhav: 0* (1)

Marco Jansen has picked up his second wicket of the night. Harshit Rana played one back to his stumps as the visitors lost their eighth wicket.

Shreyas Iyer has the unfortunate record of being the skipper both times when two of the highest chases in the IPL have been recorded. If the Punjab Kings can defend this total, Iyer would have the record of defending the lowest total in the history of the IPL. 

10:16 PM: Chahal gets two wickets in an over

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 77/7 after 12 overs. Need 35 runs in 48 balls. Russell: 1* (4), Harshit: 1* (1)

Yuzvendra Chahal has turned this game on its head. The right-arm leg-spinner has picked up his fourth wicket of the match. Bowling his third over, Chahal picked up two wickets in two balls dismissing Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh.

The defending champions are now seven down and just need to calm down under the immense pressure they find themselves in. Can Russell turn up and win this match for KKR?

10:09 PM: Are KKR crumbling under pressure?

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 74/5 after 11 overs. Need 38 runs in 54 balls. Rinku: 1* (7), Russell: 0* (2)

Glenn Maxwell after bowling an impressive first over giving away only three runs, has now got his name on the wickets column. The Australian off-spinner dismissed Venkatesh Iyer by trapping him in front of the stumps.

10:03 PM: Chahal has chosen to shine on the best night possible

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 72/4 after 10 overs. Need 40 runs in 60 balls. Venkatesh: 6* (2), Rinku: 0* (5)

Yuzvendra Chahal after having a poor season so far has picked up two wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders in two overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi was the latest batter to be dismissed by the leg-spinner.

9:58 PM: KKR in a great position to take the top spot in the points table

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 71/3 after 9 overs. Need 41 runs in 66 balls. Raghuvanshi: 37* (27), Venkatesh: 6* (2)

The required run rate is now less than four runs per over. With multiple batters still in the dressing room, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Venkatesh Iyer would be looking to score the remaining 41 runs in 31 balls to make sure they end the night at the top of the table.

9:53 PM: Chahal gets his first wicket 

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 68/3 after 8 overs. Need 44 runs in 72 balls. Raghuvanshi: 35* (22), Venkatesh: 5* (1)

Yuzvendra Chahal broke the third-wicket partnership and got his name into the wicket column. The leg-spinner dismissed the KKR skipper by trapping him in front of the stumps. 

The partnership between Rahane and Raghuvanshi ensured that KKR is right on top of the hosts in spite of losing their two openers cheaply. They have more or less sealed the win for the defending champions. Their next priority would be to chase this total down in 14.1 overs or less. By doing so, KKR would move right to the top of the table. 

9:42 PM: KKR controls the power play 

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 55/2 after 6 overs. Need 57 runs in 14 overs. Rahane: 13* (10), Raghuvanshi: 31* (18)

The visitors have ended the powerplay on a high. Xavier Bartlett bowling his third over in the innings was struck for a couple of sixes. Both Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit their first six of the match.

9:38 PM: KKR brewing a useful third-wicket stand

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 36/2 after 5 overs. Need 76 runs in 15 overs. Rahane: 6* (7), Raghuvanshi: 19* (15)

Ajinkya Rahane has undoubtedly been the best batter for the Knight Riders this season. Even though the defending champions are chasing a small total of 112 runs, the KKR skipper would need to play a big knock to make sure the three-time champions register their second win on the trot. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has also struck four fours to kickstart his knock.

9:24 PM: Raghuvanshi hits a couple of fours

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 20/2 after 3 overs. Need 92 runs in 17 overs. Rahane: 0* (1), Raghuvanshi: 13* (9)

Angkrish Raghuvanshi struck a couple of fours in the third over to bring some balance into the KKR camp. The young batter started his knock aggressively but has now played some traditional shots.

9:24 PM: Both KKR openers back in the hut

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 12/2 after 2 overs. Need 100 runs in 18 overs. Rahane: 0* (1), Raghuvanshi: 5* (3)

PBKS has started their defense of 112 runs on a great note. After Jansen dismissed Sunil Narine in the first over, Xavier Bartlett got rid of Quinton de Kock. Both KKR openers are now back in the dressing room. Skipper, Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi would need to put up a stand to bail KKR out of some trouble. 

9:17 PM: Jansen strikes in the first over

Kolkata Knight Riders are at 7/1 after 1 over. Need 105 runs in 19 overs. De Kock: 2* (2)

Marco Jansen bowled the first over for the hosts and not Arshdeep Singh. The Indian pacer has a pretty poor record against left-handed batters. Both KKR openers, Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine are lefties, hence Jansen was given the nod by Shreyas Iyer to bowl the first over. Narine struck the first four of the innings on the fifth ball of the over. The move from Iyer worked as Jansen picked up his first wicket on the last ball of the first over.

8:53 PM: KKR needs 112 runs to win!

Kolkata Knight Riders for the second game on the trot have restricted their opponents for a low score. The defending champions restricted Chennai Super Kings in their previous match for only 103 runs. Tonight against Punjab Kings, on a batter-friendly track they have bowled out the hosts to a score of 111 runs. 

8:41 PM: KKR apply the squeeze on the hosts

Punjab Kings are at 104/8 after 14 overs. Shashank: 17* (14), Bartlett: 6* (10)

Punjab Kings have crawled their way to get past the 100-run mark. They are now safe from registering the lowest-ever score in the season. Varun Chakravarthy bowled out his four overs picking up two wickets while giving away only 21 runs. For the second game in a row, KKR bowlers have had a major say in the tournament.

8:31 PM: Narine gets two in an over

Punjab Kings are at 86/8 after 11 overs. Shashank: 6* (6)

Sunil Narine too has gotten his name on the wicket-taking list. The veteran spinner picked up two wickets in his second over to bring the hosts to their knees.

8:26 PM: Chakravarthy picks the sixth wicket of the season

Punjab Kings are at 80/6 after 10 overs. Suryansh: 4* (3), Shashank: 1* (2)

Glenn Maxwell gets Glenn Maxwell once again. The mystery spinner has been a nemesis for the Australian all-rounder. He dismissed Maxwell with a carrom ball. It was the fourth time, Chakravarthy dismissed the right-hander.

Punjab Kings used their impact sub with Suryansh Shegde coming into the game in the first innings itself. The hosts desperately need the duo of Suryansh and Shashank to put up a stand.

8:17 PM: Nortje gets his first wicket of the season

Punjab Kings are at 74/5 after 8.4 overs. Maxwell: 7* (8)

Nehal Wadhera struck a couple of fours on the trot welcoming Anrich Nortje in his second over. However, the South African pacer had the last laugh as he dismissed Wadhera. Half of the PBKS side is now back in the dressing room.

Will the hosts use their impact sub in the first innings itself?

8:13 PM: KKR on top of the hosts

Punjab Kings are at 66/4 after 8 overs. Wadhera: 2* (5), Maxwell: 7* (8)

Kolkata Knight Riders are applying the pressure on the hosts. After Punjab Kings lost their four wickets in the powerplay, the next two overs did not fetch them a lot of runs. The next two overs from Sunil Narine and Harshit Rana went for only 12 runs.

8:02 PM: Prabhsimran falls on the final ball of the powerplay

Punjab Kings are at 54/4 after 6 overs. Wadhera: 0* (1)

After losing three wickets in the fourth and the fifth over, the hosts, Punjab Kings seemed that they would end the powerplay on a high. Prabhsimran Singh struck a couple of sixes in the final over of the powerplay, but Harshit Rana made a strong comeback and dismissed the opening batter on the final ball of the over.

7:56 PM: Varun Chakravarthy gets his first

Punjab Kings are at 42/3 after 5 overs. Prabhsimran: 18* (9), Wadhera: 0* (1)

Varun Chakravarty came into the attack after Rana picked up two wickets in the previous over. He followed up the over greatly and picked up his first wicket dismissing Josh Inglis.

7:52 PM: Harshit gets two in his first over

Punjab Kings are at 39/2 after 4 overs. Prabhsimran: 17* (8), Inglis: 0* (2)

Harshit Rana replaced Anrich Norte in the attack and created an immediate impact. He was hit for a six on the first ball as he started with an innocuous delivery outside off. However, Rana bounced back strongly and dismissed Priyansh Arya on the very next ball. Bowling to his ex-skipper, Rana dismissed Shreyas Iyer for a silver duck. 

7:45 PM: Vaibhav Arora bowls an expensive over

Punjab Kings are at 33/0 after 3 overs. Priyansh: 16* (10), Prabhsimran: 17* (8)

After Priyansh Arya struck a couple of fours in the second over, Prabhsimran Singh also joined the party. The right-handed batter welcomed Vaibhav Arora in his second over with a couple of fours and a six on the first three balls of the over. 

7:40 PM: Priyansh gets going with a couple of fours

Punjab Kings are at 13/0 after 2 overs. Priyansh: 11* (8), Prabhsimran: 2* (4)

Anrich Nortje playing his first game in this season did not show much signs of rustiness. However, he did err in his line on the fourth ball of the over to Priyansh Arya. It was a wide delivery to the left-handed batter which struck for a four. A similar treatment was provided for the final delivery of the over which was pitched short by the South African pacer.

7:35 PM: A steady start for the hosts

Punjab Kings are at 4/0 after 1 over. Priyansh: 3* (5), Prabhsimran: 1* (1)

Vaibhav Arora was right on the money in the first over at New Chandigarh. The right-arm pacer started with a cheap over. Only four runs came off his first over.

7:01 PM: PBKS vs KKR Toss Update

PBKS won the toss and elected to bat first at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in New Chandigarh. 

Punjab Kings Playing XI

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (C), Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI

Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Norje, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora

PBKS vs KKR Predicted Playing XIIs

It’s time for redemption as the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings host the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. The PBKS skipper would be raring to go against his former franchise who did not retain him even after he led them to their third title.

For the hosts, Lockie Ferguson would be missing this game and the rest of the season after picking up an injury in his left quad in the previous game. KKR on the other hand changed their bowling attack in the previous game against Chennai Super Kings replacing Spencer Johnson with Moeen Ali. They would have to decide whether they would play with the same team or if Spencer comes back to the lineup.

Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XII

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (C), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vyshak Vijaykumar

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XII

Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson/Moeen Ali, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora