Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2021, Today Match Prediction 01 October 2021

kkr vs pbks Match Prediction & Analysis

Kolkata Knight Riders have taken the second phase of the game by storm and putting on a great show so far in all their matches. They are currently in a stiff battle in the mid table with slight edge over the other teams due to positive NRR. Punjab Kings are finding it difficult to gather momentum and move ahead in the league phase. They need to win this match else their qualification chance will take a big hit. KKR on the other hand will get closer to the qualification if they manage to get 2 crucial points in this match. Both teams caught up in the mid table tussle will look to win this match and sprint ahead in the race.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

Kolkata Knight Riders returned to winning ways in the last game chasing the 130-run target. Shubman Gill (30 runs) and Nitish Rana (36* runs) played vital knocks in helping their team cross the line. Sunil Narine`s quick fire 10-ball 21 runs played a big role in keeping their momentum in the chase. Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, and Dinesh karthik too are in good touch in recent outings. 

Pacers Lockie Ferguson, Venkatesh Iyer, and Tim Southee shared 5 wickets between themselves in the match. Spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine continued their good work and had combined bowling figures of 8-0-42-2. Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson`s availability to subject to fitness in this match.

Top players to bet on:

Venkatesh Iyer – Venkatesh has been prolific at the top with aggressive knocks and he also contribute with the ball with figures f 4-0-29-2 in the last game. We expect him to make a big difference to their team`s depth and balance in the remaining matches.

Varun Chakravarthy – Chakravarthy has 4 wickets at an economy rate of just 5 RPO in the 4 matches played in the UAE leg. Batters are struggling to read his variations and he might be a big match winner for KKR in this match.

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell/Tim Southee, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

Kolkata Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Seifert, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik, RA Tripathi, TG Southee

Punjab Kings Preview

Punjab Kings have posted below par scores in the last 2 matches as their batting line-up looks for spirited performances. Aiden Markram has lead the middle order with good cameos while KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, and Harpret Brar have played vital knocks but failed to make a big score for the team. Moises Henriques or Fabian Allen might replace Nicholas Pooran in this match.

Their bowlers have fought hard despite very low scores on board. Ravi Bishnoi has been their main wicket-taker in the middle overs with Aiden Markram and Harpret Brar providing support in the spin department. Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Nathan Ellis have formed a stable pace combination and would look to continue their good work with the ball.

Top players to bet on:

Aiden Markram – Markram lead their team`s fightback in the last 2 matches with scores of 42 & 29 runs and took them to a respectable total. His bowling might come in handy for their team in these conditions.

Ravi Bishnoi – Bishnoi has figures of 2/25 & 3/24 in the last 2 matches and has been piling up crucial top order wickets. He will be their trump card with the ball in this match too bamboozling the batsmen with his leggies and wrong ones.

Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XI:

KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings Actual Playing XI:

Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Fabian Allen, Mohammed Shami, Shahrukh Khan, Lokesh Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Aiden Markram, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Agarwal

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Dubai will have hot and humid weather with no chances of rain whatsoever. We expect a full match with no interruptions from the weather.

Venue Details

Dubai has a fairly new pitch with a lot of grass in it in the last game. Batsmen will enjoy batting on this surface especially with the new ball. The pitch might be tough once the ball gets softer and older. We expect an average score of 160-170 runs on this pitch.

Toss: To Bowl

Pitch is expected to stay the same throughout the match and we expect both teams to bowl first in this track. Chasing teams have an 8-5 win-loss record in the UAE leg so far.