PBKS vs KKR 2nd Match Prediction

Betting Tips

PBKS vs KKR Match Prediction

Punjab Kings To Win the Match, 1.82

The Punjab Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders will start their IPL 2023 campaign against each other. In a lot of ways, these two teams appear to be slightly weaker than the other teams this season and so this early match could end up being quite crucial for them. 

We are being offered pretty similar odds for the two teams right now with the Punjab Kings as slight favorites. Let us have a closer look at both teams and see which team has a better chance of starting out with a win.

Match prediction and cricket betting tips for PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023. The match will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on the 1st of April 2023. 

PBKS vs KKR Head-to-Head Record

KKR dominates this rivalry 20-10 with a run of 8 straight wins from 2014-2017. The rivalry has been more even in recent years with both teams winning two out of the previous four matches against each other.

PBKS vs KKR Live-Streaming and Broadcast

The PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 match will be streamed on Jiocinema (app and website) across all platforms and carriers. On television, Star Sports will be carrying the match in all major and regional languages.

PBKS vs KKR Team Previews

Punjab Kings

The Punjab Kings had a strong squad for IPL 2022 but they eventually missed out on the playoffs after winning just seven of their 14 matches. The squad remains pretty similar to last season but with a big addition now that Sam Curran is back in the lineup. 

In fact, the Punjab Kings could have Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, and Kagiso Rabada in the lineup with the fourth overseas player either Bhanuka Rajapaksa or Matthew Short. Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of IPL 2023 and that is certainly a big loss. 

PBKS also has a pretty decent set of Indian players. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the squad as captain and as their main batter while Arshdeep Singh has now developed into India's regular T20 international. If anything, there is a bit of a lack of a top-order Indian batter. 

Jitesh Sharma was very good with the bat and as a keeper but Shahrukh Khan or Harpreet Singh Bhatia will have to raise their game to the next level for Punjab Kings to be a batting force. Perhaps a point of concern for the team, and something to remember as bettors, is that some of PBKS's big players seem to be on a downtrend. 

Shikhar Dhawan is nearing the end of his career, Rahul Chahar has struggled after his initial success in the IPL, and the youngsters they have invested in have not really stepped up so far. A solid core of overseas players with crucial Indian pieces missing.

Punjab Kings Expected Playing 11

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR suffered a massive blow in the lead-up to IPL 2023 when it found out that Shreyas Iyer is not going to be available for the majority of the season (perhaps all of it). That takes away their best batter for whom they do not really have a backup. In fact, Iyer's absence could force KKR to make some changes to their entire team balance. 

As things stand, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Venkatesh Iyer seem to be locked into the playing eleven. In normal circumstances, we think KKR would have chosen one overseas bowler (probably Ferguson) and one additional overseas all-rounder (Shakib Al Hasan or David Wiese). 

Now, however, they may be forced to bench the outright bowler and pick both all-rounders. That will give them some depth in both the bowling and batting departments. N Jagadeesan, Shardul Thakur, Nitish Rana, Umesh Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy will fill in the rest of the gaps for KKR. 

We are not totally convinced by this lineup. Sure, they have brilliant overseas players as match-winners but the Indian contingent seems stale. We have seen almost all of the KKR Indian players play and be middling for the majority of their IPL careers. To expect that to change is fool-hardy. 

KKR will win some matches because it is bound to uncover some match-winning performances along the line but we can see IPL 2023 being a big struggle for it.

Kolkata Knight Riders Expected Playing 11

PBKS vs KKR Toss Prediction

The team that wins the toss is likely to want to field first. 57.1% of matches have been won by the chasing team at the IS Bindra Stadium. That is a pretty big advantage to have. 

Pitch and Conditions

There are some clouds expected on match day in Mohali but overall, the weather is not expected to play a major role. The IS Bindra Stadium is considered to be a high-scoring one. The average score batting first is 165.6 but the average winning total batting first is 178.9. 

Teams will be looking for something close to 180 to be comfortable defending. Also, the average spin-bowling economy rate is 7.7 at this venue while it is 8.1 for the fast bowlers. Teams will look to their spinners to keep the flow of runs in check. 

PBKS vs KKR Betting Tips

We think the Punjab Kings have the advantage going into this contest against KKR. They have a better-balanced lineup that has some dynamic and in-form all-rounders. In fact, both teams are heavily dependent on their overseas players to do the bulk of the work and so the difference may be made by the Indian contingent. 

Once again, this is where the Punjab Kings have the upper hand. 

Bet on the Punjab Kings to win.