PBKS shook things up at Eden Gardens by choosing to bat first against KKR (KKR vs PBKS), flipping the usual chase-game script in recent IPL matches. The dry pitch and some visible cracks had them thinking it was the smarter move. They kept Harpreet Brar on standby as their Impact Player for those crunch-time moments. Glenn Maxwell and Azmatullah Omarzai were the fresh faces in the squad. KKR rolled out Rovman Powell, Chetan Sakariya, and young gun Angkrish Raghuvanshi, while Ramandeep Singh didn’t make the playing XI or the subs. PBKS had a bit of an edge with a match still in hand.
Teams for KKR vs PBKS
- Get ready for a cracker of a match! Punjab Kings are rolling in with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya up top, Shreyas Iyer wearing the captain’s hat, and Josh Inglis behind the stumps.
- Then there are power-hitters like Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Glenn Maxwell bringing the heat.
- All-rounders Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen are ready to fire, with Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh set to do the damage with the ball.
- And don’t sleep on the impact crew: Harpreet Brar, Musheer Khan, Pravin Dubey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Suryansh Shedge might just steal the show.
- Meanwhile, KKR’s coming in hot with Rahmanullah Gurbaz keeping the gloves warm, Sunil Narine looking to cause chaos, and Venkatesh Iyer ready to flex.
- Skipper Ajinkya Rahane leads a stacked squad featuring Rinku Singh, big hitters Andre Russell and Rovman Powell, and a solid bowling unit of Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy.
- And don’t blink; Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, and Luvnith Sisodia could drop in and change the game in a flash.
First Inning of KKR vs PBKS
- Punjab Kings came out swinging, smashing 50 runs in just 4.3 overs with openers P Arya and Prabhsimran Singh firing on all cylinders, Arya knocking 28 and Singh 23.
- At 71/0 in 8 overs, they called for a breather, with Arya cruising on 38 and Singh on 31.
- Arya hit a flashy fifty in just 27 balls, stacking up 8 fours and 2 sixes. Things got spicy in the 10th over when KKR went for a review and got Arya out at 61, but PBKS didn’t slow down, hitting the 100 mark in 10.3 overs.
- Singh also brought up his fifty in 38 balls with 2 fours and 4 sixes. The scoreboard kept ticking as PBKS hit 150 in 13.4 overs.
- They paused again at 167/2 in 16 overs with SS Iyer on 9 and Maxwell on 3.
- KKR made a switch, bringing in Angkrish Raghuvanshi for Chetan Sakariya.
- PBKS wrapped up their innings with a solid 201/4, thanks to Iyer’s 25 and JP Inglis’ 11 at the finish.
Second Inning of KKR vs PBKS
- KKR’s innings kicked off with the all-eyes-on-it Powerplay 1, running from over 0.1 to 6.0, no skipping it, it’s part of the rules.
- Things got spicy when Punjab Kings made a bold move, subbing in Harpreet Brar for Prabhsimran Singh right at the buzzer, 19.6 overs into their innings.
- Just as KKR started to find their groove, the rain decided to crash the party. But before the drizzle hit pause, KKR had notched up 7/0 in just 1 over.
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz chipped in with 1 run, while SP Narine kicked off with a quick 4.
- That mini stretch might’ve been short, but it was loaded with setup energy for what looked like a wild ride ahead.
Where to Watch IPL 2025
JioHotstar: https://www.hotstar.com/in/sports
Result
Match 44 of the TATA IPL 2025 between KKR and PBKS was a total washout, literally. Thanks to the rain gods crashing the party, the pitch turned into a slip-and-slide, making it too risky for play. With the game called off, both teams had to settle for a lonely little point each. It was a big reminder that Mother Nature doesn’t care about matchday hype, and cricket needs to stay ready for curveballs from the sky.
