Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings
KKR vs PBKS Prediction
Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the biggest franchises in the world and former two-time champions in the Indian Premier League and will likely be favourites in the KKR vs PBKS prediction.
On the other side, Punjab Kings are yet to taste championship success and have largely struggled to break out of the bottom half of the table.
The rivalry between the two teams is pretty one-sided but PBKS have managed to compete better in the last couple of years. With that in mind and the fact that the mega auction has disrupted things significantly, the Punjab vs KKR prediction won’t be straightforward.
The Knight Riders opted to retain four of their players ahead of the mega auction, with Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer forming a core.
KKR have defeated PBKS in the final of the IPL 2014 to win 2nd IPL trophy.
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Their auction strategy was completely inexplicable as they repeated the same mistakes. KKR brought back Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi, Rinku Singh and Sheldon Jackson
Punjab Kings were amongst the better performers at the auction table. They secured some excellent picks such as Kagiso Rabada, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Odean Smith.
PBKS also brought back their young Indian star Shahrukh Khan. Rahul Chahar, Raj Bawa and Jitesh Sharma were some of the other good picks. They couldn’t hold onto former skipper KL Rahul in pre-auction retention though.
For the IPL 2022, KKR and PBKS have been slotted into two separate groups and will only face each other once in the league stage. Overall, Punjab Kings have a better all-round squad and should be favourites in the PBKS vs KKR prediction for the upcoming clash.
KKR vs PBKS Match Prediction
The historical record between these two franchises is heavily dominated by the Knight Riders. They have competed against each other in 29 matches since the inception of the IPL, in which, KKR have been victorious on 19 instances while PBKS have won 10 matches.
This heavily lopsided record means the KKR vs PBKS match prediction could favour the team from Kolkata. We will dive into some more details to determine if it holds true.
Shreyas Iyer was picked for a huge sum and he has been backed as the captain of the team in the upcoming season, replacing Eoin Morgan.
Among other new recruits, Sam Billings and Alex Hales were the only decent picks. To add to their issues, Hales, who was a certainty in the playing XI, pulled out of the upcoming season due to mental fatigue. He has been replaced by Aaron Finch, who hardly offers anything with his current form.
Punjab Kings, who have failed to make it to the playoffs for the last seven years in the Indian Premier League, needed to make some drastic changes and they did.
KKR have claimed 66% of matches they played against PBKS in the IPL.
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PBKS parted ways with KL Rahul, their top run-getter in the previous cycle. They managed to retain Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh during the retention window.
As for their squads for the upcoming season, KKR have plenty of issues in their line-up, starting from the batting order. The top four of Rahane, a replacement for Shubman Gill, Venkatesh, Shreyas and Rana does not inspire much confidence.
Whether Sam Billings gets in or not remains a question. A lot could depend on Andre Russell yet again. In the bowling department, they have a potent spin duo of Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. But the seam bowling attack can be taken apart.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have an exciting batting line-up packed with T20 stars and will back themselves to be ahead in the KKR vs PBKS match prediction.
The likely batting order in the playing XI will be Dhawan and Mayank, replacing the KL Rahul – Mayank pair, Bairstow, Livingstone (a possible replacement for Aiden Markram), Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith and it looks formidable on paper, capable of firing irrespective of the pitch report. Despite not having Chris Gayle, PBKS batting looks top-notch on paper.
PBKS have Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh as the frontline pacers with Odean as the third option in the playing XI.
Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar and Livingstone will be the spin options although that doesn’t quite make up for Ravi Bishnoi leaving.
Overall, Punjab Kings look very solid and should be favourites in the PBKS vs KKR IPL match prediction despite the past record and irrespective of how the pitch report is.
That said, KKR have had the edge over the years in the PBKS vs KKR match prediction and will back themselves.
PBKS vs KKR Head To Head
The numbers are heavily skewed in favour of the Knight Riders when it comes to the KKR vs PBKS head to head rivalry.
As you can see in the below table, KKR’s win percentage doesn’t drop below 55% no matter which filter you use. They have a 66% overall win record, which rises to 73% when they play at home.
KKR have also dominated away from home, winning 57% of the matches in the PBKS vs KKR head to head. KKR have enjoyed a lot of success while batting second, chasing the target successfully on 13 out of 18 occasions in the IPL T20.
| Head to Head | KKR Played | KKR Won | KKR Win % | PBKS Played | PBKS Won | PBKS Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 29 | 19 | 66% | 29 | 10 | 34% |
| Bat First | 11 | 6 | 55% | 18 | 5 | 28% |
| Bowl First | 18 | 13 | 72% | 11 | 5 | 45% |
| Home | 11 | 8 | 73% | 7 | 3 | 43% |
| Away | 7 | 4 | 57% | 11 | 3 | 27% |
| Neutral | 11 | 7 | 64% | 11 | 4 | 36% |
Talking about the matches played in India, KKR have an even more dominant record against PBKS.
Out of 23 matches between the two sides, the Knight Riders have claimed 17 matches while the Punjab team has won only 6. In the last couple of years, they’ve been evenly matched with both the teams winning one match each in 2020 as well as 2021.
Kolkata have had the upper hand at neutral venues as well, having won 7 out of 11 clashes between the two in the Indian Premier League.
KKR have an edge over PBKS when it comes to play at neutral places in the IPL.
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We have seen some epic moments in the PBKS vs KKR head to head battles in the IPL, including the high-scoring thrilling final in the IPL 2014.
The highest team score in this rivalry goes to KKR, who had blasted 245/6 in 2018. PBKS registered their highest score in the same match when they responded with 214/8.
As for the lowest total, KKR and PBKS were restricted to 109 and 119, respectively. KKR’s average first innings score reads a fantastic 181 in KKR vs PBKS head to head games while PBKS have scored 155 on average while batting first.
| Head to Head | KKR | PBKS |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Team Score | 245 | 214 |
| Lowest Team Score | 109 | 119 |
| Average 1st Inn Score | 181 | 155 |
| Average 2nd Inn Score | 149 | 164 |
Gautam Gambhir tops the run-scoring chart in these fixtures between the Knight Riders and the Kings. He has scored 492 runs for KKR while KL Rahul has scored the most (317) runs for PBKS.
Wriddhiman Saha’s 115* for PBKS and Manish Pandey’s 94 for KKR in the 2014 IPL final remain the highest individual scores from these two respective sides.
Sunil Narine rules the bowling charts with 31 wickets against Punjab. Piyush Chawla, who has represented both the franchises, has the most (10) wickets for PBKS.
| Head to Head | KKR | PBKS |
|---|---|---|
| Most Runs | 492 – Gautam Gambhir | 317 – KL Rahul |
| Highest Individual Score | 94 – Manish Pandey | 115* – Wriddhiman Saha |
| Most Wickets | 31 – Sunil Narine | 10 – Piyush Chawla |
| Best Bowling Figures | 5/19 – Sunil Narine | 4/25 – Sandeep Sharma |
The Knight Riders and the Kings are set to lock horns in the IPL 2022 on April 1st at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It’s a surface with a lot of pace and bounce on offer. PBKS have done better at this venue compared to KKR.
The huge gap in the KKR vs PBKS head to head record is evident from their history of results. They have played as many as 25 times and KXIP has managed to win just 8 of those contests.
One of the issues with KXIP is that they haven’t been able to zero in on a core team over the years. Also, all players are not able to deliver consistently over the duration of the tournament.
They have won some matches with unbelievable ease. But their abject failure in other matches has been almost embarrassing.
| Tournament | Match Date | Venue | Match Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2022 | 4/1/2022 | Mumbai | KKR | Won by 6 wickets |
| IPL 2021 | 10/1/2021 | Dubai | PBKS | Won by 5 wickets |
| IPL 2021 | 4/26/2021 | Ahmedabad | KKR | Won by 5 wickets |
| IPL 2020 | 10/26/2020 | Sharjah | PBKS | Won by 8 wickets |
| IPL 2020 | 10/10/2020 | Abu Dhabi | KKR | Won by 2 runs |
| IPL 2019 | 5/3/2019 | Chandigarh | KKR | Won by 7 wickets |
| IPL 2019 | 3/27/2019 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 28 runs |
| IPL 2018 | 5/12/2018 | Indore | KKR | Won by 31 runs |
| IPL 2018 | 4/21/2018 | Kolkata | PBKS | Won by 9 wickets |
| IPL 2017 | 5/9/2017 | Chandigarh | PBKS | Won by 14 runs |
| IPL 2017 | 4/13/2017 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 8 wickets |
| IPL 2016 | 5/4/2016 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 7 runs |
| IPL 2016 | 4/19/2016 | Chandigarh | KKR | Won by 6 wickets |
| IPL 2015 | 5/9/2015 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 1 wickets |
| IPL 2015 | 4/18/2015 | Pune | KKR | Won by 4 wickets |
| IPL 2014 | 6/1/2014 | Bangalore | KKR | Won by 3 wickets |
| IPL 2014 | 5/27/2014 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 28 runs |
| IPL 2014 | 5/11/2014 | Cuttack | KKR | Won by 9 wickets |
| IPL 2014 | 4/26/2014 | Abu Dhabi | PBKS | Won by 23 runs |
| IPL 2013 | 4/26/2013 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 6 wickets |
| IPL 2013 | 4/16/2013 | Chandigarh | PBKS | Won by 4 runs |
| IPL 2012 | 4/18/2012 | Chandigarh | KKR | Won by 8 wickets |
| IPL 2012 | 4/15/2012 | Kolkata | PBKS | Won by 2 runs |
| IPL 2011 | 4/30/2011 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 8 wickets |
| IPL 2010 | 4/4/2010 | Kolkata | PBKS | Won by 8 wickets |
| IPL 2010 | 3/27/2010 | Chandigarh | KKR | Won by 39 runs |
| IPL 2009 | 5/3/2009 | Port Elizabeth | PBKS | Won by 6 wickets |
| IPL 2009 | 4/21/2009 | Durban | KKR | Won by 11 runs |
| IPL 2008 | 5/25/2008 | Kolkata | KKR | Won by 3 wickets |
| IPL 2008 | 5/3/2008 | Chandigarh | PBKS | Won by 9 runs |
PBKS vs KKR Toss
Kolkata Knight Riders have been more fortunate when it comes to the KKR vs PBKS toss results. Out of 29 meetings between the two, KKR have won the toss on 17 instances while PBKS have been lucky 12 times.
KKR have won 11 out of those 17 matches where they’ve won the KKR vs PBKS toss, an indication that the toss has helped them win matches vs PBKS.
PBKS have won only 4 out of 12 games after winning the toss.
Both the teams have opted to chase after winning the toss. Though the toss prediction will equally favour both teams, expect the chasing trend to continue, depending on the pitch report of course in the PBKS vs KKR match in the IPL 2022.
KKR vs PBKS Betting Tips
In our KKR vs PBKS betting tips, look out for Shikhar Dhawan as the player of the match.
Other popular choices include Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer.
KKR’s new skipper; Shreyas Iyer will be the player to watch out for in this battle against PBKS.
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As for the match results, Punjab Kings have a better squad for the IPL 2022 compared to KKR. And as such, they should have an edge in the upcoming clash.
The complete PBKS vs KKR betting tips, cricket updates and latest news will be available 3 days before the match.
Shikhar Dhawan to score 50 @4.75
INDIBET tips – KKR vs PBKS
Arshdeep Singh – PBKS top bowler @5.50
1xbet tips – KKR vs PBKS
Varun Chakravarthy – KKR top bowler @3.74
1xbet tips – KKR vs PBKS
Top Batsman Kolkata Knight Riders – Jason Roy @4.50
HelaBet tips – KKR vs PBKS
KKR vs PBKS Prediction Frequently Asked Questions
KKR have a dominant head to head record between the two sides, winning 19 out of 29 matches compared to 10 wins by PBKS.
KKR and PBKS have faced each other twice in the knockout stages, both of which were won by the Kolkata Knight Rider.
KKR have been luckier at the toss, winning it on 17 occasions out of 29. PBKS have won the toss on 12 instances. However, correct toss prediction is an impossible task. The general odds for the toss remain equal for both teams.
KKR have the past record in their favour but they face several issues in their current squad. PBKS have assembled a strong unit and are likely to come out on top in the IPL 2022 clash.