Abhishek Tripathi, Mumbai. PBKS vs KKR: Punjab Kings, who could not win the IPL title even once, are looking strong this time. Punjab Kings, who defeated RCB in the first match, chased a target of more than 200 runs. However, his bowling looked relatively weak. It is a matter of relief that their South African fast bowler. Kagiso Rabada’s three-day quarantine is over and in such a situation he is expected to play. With this, the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday is expected to be a strong one. In the previous match, KKR suffered a three-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), but their bowlers did better later.
A lot for Punjab will depend on its top three players, captain Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan and Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Punjab’s batting is strong: For Punjab, a lot will depend on its top three players, captain Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan and Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa played the winning innings in the match against RCB. In the middle order, Odion Smith and Shah Rukh Khan did their amazing batting against RCB. Under-19 World Cup star Raj Bawa may get another chance. Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma and Arshdeep Singh can be show the way out when Rabada arrives. Spinner Rahul Chahar is doing well.
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KKR’s batting problem
Kolkata opener Ajinkya Rahane and aggressive Venkatesh Iyer dismissed cheaply against RCB. Rahane needs to start off strong. Shreyas Iyer is able to make a comeback again. Apart from these two, the responsibility of the middle order will be on the shoulders of Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson and ‘big hitter’ Andre Russell. There are batsmen in KKR’s lineup who can tear apart any attack. And the team management will hope that they all perform in unison against Punjab. Talking about the bowling, fast bowler Umesh Yadav was brilliant with the new ball in both the matches. New Zealand’s experienced bowler Tim Southee will also have to play an important role. Spinner Varun Chakraborty’s form is a matter of concern for Kolkata.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Aman Khan, Ashok Sharma, Sam Billings, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Baba Inderjit, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Chamika Karunaratne, Muhammad Nabi, Sunil Narine, Pratham Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ramesh Kumar , Nitish Rana, Rashikh Salam, Anukul Rai, Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi, Rinku Singh, Tim Southee, Abhijit Tomar, Varun Chakraborty, Umesh Yadav.
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (Captain), Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Baltej Singh, Raj Bawa, Rahul Chahar, Hrithik Chatterjee, Rishi Dhawan, Shikhar Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Benny Howell, Liam Livingstone, Prerak Mankad , Ansh Patel, Ishan Porel, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Sandeep Sharma, M Shah Rukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Odeon Smith, Atharva Tide.
