In match number 42 of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024), Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) took on Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings (PBKS). The match between the two teams will take place on Friday, April 26, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
With the return of Gautam Gambhir as a mentor to KKR, the team’s performance has improved significantly and looked like a force to be reckoned with in the ongoing edition of the league. KKR looked equally dominant with both bat and ball and played an entertaining brand of cricket in IPL 2024.
In their last game, the Knight Riders won an absolutely thrilling victory by a one-run margin as they defeated the Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Batting first, they scored 222 for 6 with almost every batsman making a significant contribution.
However, KKR were unconvincing with the ball and their bowlers were taken to the cleaners by RCB batters who took full advantage of the conditions on offer. The equation eventually came down to 3 runs off 1 ball but RCB managed only one run and due to a run out on the last ball they were bundled out for 221.
Just like KKR, the Punjab Kings also played some entertaining cricket but were not as successful and lost most of the exciting encounters. They are currently in 9th place in the points table with 2 wins in 8 games.
The Punjab Kings lost their last game against the Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur on April 21 as their batters failed to step up and they managed to score just 142 runs. Despite a low total on the board, the PBKS bowlers put up a good fight and won the game till the last over. However, GT managed to complete the chase with three wickets in hand.
IPL 2024: Revealed – Who are the impact players nominated by KKR and PBKS for Game 42?
The Punjab Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first in the match. At the draw, Sam Curran announced that they had brought in Jonny Bairstow for Liam Livingstone. Sam Curran explained:
“We’re going to have bowling. We had four games at home and unfortunately lost all four, but the boys are ready for the away games. We know what we have to do from here, just go out there and play. Liam Livingstone missed, Jonny.” Bairstow is back.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer revealed that they have also made a change to their playing XI by bringing in Dushmantha Chameera for Mitchell Starc. He stated:
“We had different players step up at different times, that’s what I’m excited about this season. Starcy sustained a cut on his finger in the last game, Dushmantha Chameera replaces him. We need a great start and then we can make it a great success, I hope to continue the same form and momentum.”
KKR vs. PBKS: Impact Players –
KKR – Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
BKS: Shivam Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Prince Choudhary, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Prabhsimran Singh
KKR vs PBKS: Playing XIs –
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(f), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Dushman Dustha Chameera, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran (c), Rilee Rossouw, Jitesh Sharma (f), Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh