Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) led by Ajinkya Rahane will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) captained by Shreyas Iyer. 12th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the match between Knight Riders and Kings on Monday, April 6 (7:30 pm local time).
Punjab Kings will enter the match with two consecutive wins. They are third behind Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC), who also have four points but have a better net run rate. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders are in ninth place after losing their first two matches in the group stage.
Shreyas Iyer’s team started their 2026 campaign with two consecutive wins against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT). In contrast, Kolkata Knight Riders suffered heavy defeats in their opening matches as the weaknesses of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) were exposed.
Kolkata Knight Riders Needs a big win to improve its net run rate, which is -1.964. Punjab Kings will look to carry forward their winning streak and reach the top of the standings. Both teams have players who can decide the outcome at Eden Gardens.
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KKR vs PBKS face to face
Kolkata Knight Riders have a slight edge in the matches held so far with Punjab Kings. In 35 IPL matches between the two sides, Kolkata have won 21 times, while Punjab have won 13 times, while one match ended in a no result.
In their last five Indian Premier League matches, punjab kings Have achieved three victories. Kolkata Knight Riders have managed to achieve only one win, while one match ended in a no-result.
In the 2025 season, Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs. In 2024, Punjab won over Kolkata by eight wickets on 26 April. Kolkata last defeated Punjab in 2023, winning by five wickets.
Overall, the statistics show that KKR has the upper hand, but the recent form is in favor of Punjab Kings. Punjab has consistently exposed Kolkata’s bowling weaknesses. Kolkata Knight Riders will need to reverse this trend to secure points at the Eden Gardens this season.
kkr vs pbks team form
The recent performance of Kolkata Knight Riders has been poor. They have lost their last four Indian Premier League matches. The team lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 65 runs on April 2, 2026. Mumbai Indians also defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets on March 29, 2026.
During the 2025 season, Kolkata Knight Riders ended their campaign with consecutive defeats. Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated them by 110 runs on May 25, 2025, while Chennai Super Kings defeated them by two wickets on May 7, 2025. Their last win was by one run against Rajasthan Royals on May 4, 2025.
Punjab Kings have shown excellent recent form. They have won three of their last five Indian Premier League matches, including a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on April 3, 2026.
he also defeated Gujarat Titans by three wickets on March 31, 2026 and Mumbai Indians by five wickets in 2025. In their last five matches, they lost twice to Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, which included Qualifier 1 and the final.
KKR vs PBKS key players to watch
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Kolkata Knight Riders): Angkrish Raghuvanshi He is the player who scores the most runs for his team. He has scored 103 runs in two innings at an average of 51.50 and strike rate of 177.59, which includes two half-centuries. The right-handed batsman would like to continue his form in the next game.
Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders): Ajinkya Rahane has scored 75 runs in two matches at an average of 37.50 and strike rate of 150.00. The KKR captain has been aggressive in the powerplay. However, his scoring rate drops in the middle overs, which is a major concern for him and the team.
Vaibhav Arora (Kolkata Knight Riders): Vaibhav Arora Leading the pace attack for the home team. He has taken three wickets in two matches at an average of 33.00 and economy rate of 12.38. To stop Punjab Kings, they will have to take early wickets in the powerplay.
Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings): Shreyas Iyer takes charge of the middle order. He has scored 68 runs in two matches at an average of 34.00 and a strike rate of 170.00, with his best score being 50. His record against KKR is also strong, he has scored 481 runs in 14 matches at an average of 40.08 and a strike rate of 149.84.
Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab Kings): Prabhsimran Singh opened the batting for Punjab Kings. He has scored 80 runs in two matches at an average of 40.00 and strike rate of 137.93. He gives fast starts but needs to improve against the swinging ball.
Yuzvendra Chahal (Punjab Kings): Yuzvendra Chahal Controls the middle overs with his leg spin. He has taken three wickets at an average of 16.33 and economy rate of 7.00. Chahal has also taken 33 wickets in 24 matches against Kolkata Knight Riders, with his best performance being 5/40.
KKR vs PBKS Venue Analysis
Eden Gardens offers excellent batting conditions in both innings, with real bounce allowing the batsmen to play their shots freely. Fast bowlers may get some early movement with the new ball in the powerplay. However, the pitch becomes increasingly flat, making it easier to score runs in the middle and death overs.
The average first innings total here in the last eight IPL matches is around 202 runs. In the season opener on this ground, Sunrisers Hyderabad, batting first, scored 226/8 runs.
Heavy dew often affects night matches in Kolkata. Due to this the outfield becomes wet and it becomes difficult for the bowlers to catch the ball. This gives a clear advantage to the chasing team. Captain is winning the toss Eden Gardens Usually choose to bowl first to take advantage of dew.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata has hosted 101 IPL matches, with most teams chasing wins (57 wins). Punjab Kings made the highest score (262/2) against KKR in 2024. Royal Challengers Bangalore were all out for just 49 runs in 2017, the lowest score at the venue.
KKR vs PBKS Predicted XI
Kolkata Knight Riders squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik, Varun Chakraborty, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Mathisha Pathirana, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejashwi Dahiya, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Sunil Narine, Angkrishna Raghuvanshi, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Kartik Tyagi
Probable playing XI of Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani.
Impact Subs: Finn Allen
Punjab Kings Team: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Priyansh Arya, Harnoor Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Mitchell Owen, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Johnson, Mushir Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar. Vishak, Yash Thakur, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Paila Avinash, Praveen Dubey, Vishal Nishad
Probable playing XI of Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Johnson, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vishak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Effect Sub: Priyansh Arya
KKR vs PBKS Tactical Analysis
Ajinkya Rahane will have to score fast against Arshdeep Singh. marco janson In powerplay. Once the field is spread he often struggles to accelerate. Finn Allen and Rahane should use the field restrictions to build a strong foundation.
The strategic battle between the spinners of Punjab Kings and the middle order of Kolkata Knight Riders will decide this match. Notably, Kolkata’s middle order has failed to perform well in the last two matches.
In the middle overs, Yuzvendra Chahal will target Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh. If Chahal breaks partnerships, Kolkata Knight Riders may struggle to reach the 200-run mark.
Punjab Kings will depend on Shreyas Iyer to open the innings against Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Iyer plays spin well and will aim to counter Narine, giving Cooper Connolly and Marcus Stoinis a chance to attack the fast bowlers.
Toss remains an important factor at Eden Gardens. In IPL 2026, most of the captains have chosen to bowl first here. Heavy dew in Kolkata made it difficult to defend the total. If you win the toss, both Rahane and Iyer can opt to chase the target.
KKR vs PBKS Match Prediction
Best batsman: Shreyas Iyer. His record against Kolkata Knight Riders is excellent.
Best bowler: Yuzvendra Chahal. He has taken 33 wickets in 24 matches against Kolkata Knight Riders and his economy rate this season is seven.
KKR vs PBKS Match Prediction: Punjab Kings will defeat Kolkata Knight Riders. They have better form, stronger recent head-to-head results and a more balanced bowling attack to take advantage of Kolkata’s inconsistent batting lineup.
kkr vs pbks ca expert call
KKR vs PBKS: Our expert predicts an easy win for Punjab Kings. Kolkata Knight Riders lack consistency with both bat and ball. Punjab should use Arshdeep Singh and Xavier Bartlett to attack Kolkata’s top order with the new ball.
If Punjab bats first then it should set a target of 230-240 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)’s target will probably be 200-220 runs. Punjab should use Yuzvendra Chahal against Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh to limit the late hitting in the death overs.