Kolkata Knight Riders, perhaps the best side in this season’s IPL alongside Rajasthan Royals, will take on Punjab Kings in the 41st campaign match at the Eden Gardens on Friday, April 26. KKR have a decent record at this venue and will be keen on keeping it safe.
PBKS, who have had a topsy-turvy season so far, should rely more on Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh lower down the order. Some of their top batters, Rilee Rossouw, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran, could have been in better form this season.
KKR have an upper hand in this game given that two of their foreigners—Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, along with the replacement Phil Salt—have been in fine form this season and will be keen on continuing in the same way. PBKS need to keep these players under check.
Predicted Squads
KKR: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.
PBKS: Sam Curran (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh.
Key Players
Andre Russell (KKR): KKR loyalist Andre Russell has been in excellent form this season, both with the bat and ball. He virtually changed the game on its head against RCB at the Eden on Sunday, and he will be expected to play a big role in this game as well.
Liam Livingstone (PBKS): Liam Livingstone is one of the dangermen in this PBKS lineup. Although he has not quite got going this season, he will be almost impossible to restrict once he does. PBKS must keep the faith in him and allow him to play to his potential.
Match Prediction
Given their massive advantage, KKR are the favourites. It will not be easy for PBKS to fight against KKR and challenge them in their territory. PBKS will have to play out of their skins to compete on a level footing with KKR.
Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians – 27.04.2024 Prediction
Delhi Capitals—one of those teams that just have not gotten going in this edition of the IPL—host five-time winners Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla (Arun Jaitley Stadium) in New Delhi on Saturday, April 27. DC must make the most of the conditions on offer here.
MI, too, have not had the best of times this season, although they have done fairly well at home. However, they need to pull their socks up when it comes to travelling away from home, and this game gives them the best opportunity to do so. DC is struggling big time.
MI have many top-quality players in their ranks, including Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Ishan Kishan, to name just a few. However, it needs to make sure that all its players contribute equally when it takes on DC in this game.
Predicted Squads
DC: David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar.
MI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah.
Key Players
David Warner (DC): Opener David Warner, who has called it a day from Test and ODI cricket, continues to ply his trade in this game format. If he gets going, he will be one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket, and MI will have to plan well to prevent him from scoring for fun.
Tilak Varma (MI): Young Hyderabad batter Tilak Varma, playing in the middle-order for MI, has been exceptional this season. He continues to impress in every game that he plays. Varma is essential to the MI cause at the moment and is someone whom they rely upon.
Match Prediction
Despite playing away from home, MI are the overwhelming favourites to win this game. They are expected to pick up all the two points on offer by beating DC on their turf. The home team do not look like they are in any momentum this season.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Rajasthan Royals – 27.04.2024 Prediction
Lucknow Super Giants take on Rajasthan Royals in the 44th match of IPL 2024 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday, April 27. The home team have been one of the surprise packages this season and continue to enthral their fans.
RR, who have maintained an excellent record at the top of the league table at the time of writing, have a perfect side that can face challenges. Skipper Sanju Samson has been one of the biggest stars of this RR unit, helped by the likes of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
LSG, led by KL Rahul, must ensure they do not allow RR to come onto the front foot in this game. If RR do so, there will be no looking back, and LSG will have very little to play with. LSG must make good use of their home conditions and supporters.
Predicted Squads
LSG: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur.
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Key Players
KL Rahul (LSG): LSG skipper KL Rahul, one of the finest batters in India in this generation, will have to take his team home in this game. Along with partner Quinton de Kock, Rahul has formed an excellent partnership at the top of the order for LSG.
Jos Buttler (RR): Wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler, who is from England, is one of the most important players for RR. He bats at the top of the order and sets up a platform for the rest of the batters to come in and play their shots. Buttler will have to be kept quiet by the LSG bowlers in this game.
Match Prediction
RR have been one of the best teams in this competition this season and are expected to win. LSG has been extremely unpredictable this season and has shown no consistency whatsoever. RR, one of the biggest contenders for the title this season, will be keen on picking up all two points here.
