Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Punjab Kings (PBKS) in match number 44 of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens on April 26. They have been a part of two high-scoring thrillers at this venue where they failed to defend 223 runs against Rajasthan Royals, and won by just 1 run while defending 222 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Now, standing at seventh position in the points table with three wins in eight games, the three-time champions KKR will be looking to recover from the initial losses to gain one more win in the upcoming match.
Talking about PBKS, they are coming after losing last match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at their home ground in Mullanpur that too by close margins. They give tough fight to the opponent throughout the match but fail to hold their nerves in the end and end up losing the game. Now, standing at fifth place with five wins in eight matches, PBKS will be looking to get past the winning line and find their momentum back in IPL 2025. However, it won’t be an easy task for them to take on a power-packed KKR side at their home ground.
Let’s have a look at KKR vs PBKS, Head-to-Head, Pitch Report and Best Players for IPL 2025.
KKR vs PBKS Head-to-Head in IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings have faced each other 34 times in the IPL, with KKR having a dominant outing against PBKS with 21 wins, while PBKS come out victorious on 13 occasions against KKR. Both teams first met at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium on 3rd May, 2008, where Punjab Kings (known as Kings XI Punjab at that time), defeated KKR by 9 runs. Batting first, PBKS posted 178 runs for the loss of 6 wickets with Shaun Marsh top scoring with 40 runs off 32 balls. In reply, David Hussey (71 off 46) and Wriddhiman Saha (59* off 32) put up a 104-run partnership for the sixth wicket after the top-order failure, but failed to take their team down the line. At last KKR could only score 169 runs losing six wickets felling short off just 9 runs from PBKS’ total.
| Statistic | Punjab | Kolkata |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 34 | 34 |
| Won | 13 | 21 |
| Lost | 21 | 13 |
| No Result | 0 | 0 |
| Highest Score | 262 | 261 |
| Lowest Score | 119 | 79 |
KKR vs PBKS Head-to-Head at Eden Gardens
Talking about their Head-to-Head records at KKR’s home ground, they have hosted PBKS 13 times at Eden Gardens winning nine out of them. On the other hand, PBKS have won four against KKR in front of their home crowd. The last time both teams played against each other at this ground, PBKS won convincingly by 8 wickets in a high-scoring game. Batting first, KKR skipper Phil Salt top scored with 75 runs off 37 balls hitting six fours and six maximums that produced 261 runs for KKR. In reply, Jonny Bairstow took the plunge hitting unbeaten 108 runs off 48 balls with nine maximums and eight fours. Along with him, Prabhsimran Singh supported with his quickfire 54-run inning in just 20 balls to complete the historical run chase.
| Total Matches | KKR Won | PBKS | Tie | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
KKR Record at Eden Gardens
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches Played | 94 |
| Wins | 53 |
| Defeats | 29 |
| No Result | 2 |
| Ties | 0 |
| Wins Batting First | 25 |
| Wins Chasing | 28 |
| Highest Total | 261 |
| Lowest Total | 108 |
PBKS Record at Eden Gardens
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Matches Played | 13 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Defeats | 9 |
| Ties | 0 |
| Wins Batting First | 1 |
| Wins Chasing | 3 |
| Highest Total | 262 |
| Lowest Total | 111 |
Eden Gardens Pitch Report
The surface of the Eden Gardens provides support for both batters and bowlers. The pitch has been prepared using black cotton soil that helps in maintaining good bounce which becomes paradise for the batters. However as the game progresses, the pitch slows down, which is favorable for the spinners. The surface of Eden Gardens has been more favorable for the batters this year, where the last two games have been high-scoring thrillers at this ground with both teams scoring around 220 runs in both matches.
Eden Gardens IPL Records
The Eden Gardens in Kolkata hosted a total of 97 matches in the history of the IPL, out of which, 41 matches have been won by a team batting first, while 56 times, teams have won by chasing. The ground hosted its first-ever IPL matches in the inaugural season as Kolkata Knight Riders took on Deccan Chargers on 20th April, 2008. After bowling out Chargers for a 110, KKR chased the winning total in 19 overs by losing 5 wickets with David Hussey receiving player of the match award for his all-round performance.
| City | Kolkata | ||
| Country | India | ||
| First Match | 20/04/2008 | ||
| Last T20 Match | 21/04/2025 | ||
| Matches Played | 97 | ||
| Matches Won Batting First | 41 (42.27%) | ||
| Matches Won Batting Second | 56 (57.73%) | ||
| Matches Won Winning Toss | 50 (51.55%) | ||
| Matches Won Losing Toss | 47 (48.45%) | ||
| Matches with No Result | 0 (0.00%) | ||
| Highest Individual Innings | 112* | R M Patidar (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | 25/05/2022 v Lucknow Super Giants |
| Best Bowling | 5/19 | S P Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders) | 15/04/2012 v Punjab Kings |
| Highest Team Innings | 262/2 (Punjab Kings) | 26/04/2024 v Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| Lowest Team Innings | 49 (Royal Challengers Bangalore) | 23/04/2017 v Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| Highest Run Chase Achieved | 262/2 (Punjab Kings) | 26/04/2024 v Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| Average Runs per Wicket | 27.92 | ||
| Average Runs per Over | 8.52 | ||
| Average Score Batting First | 164.38 | ||
Key Players from both teams
KKR-X Factors
For KKR, Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane turned out to be a destructive top-order batters this year. Along with them, Venkatesh Iyer can accelerate in the middle order with Rinku Singh and Andre Russell finishing the innings on a high. In the bowling line up, Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine can look up the spin department, while right-arm pacer Harshit Rana can give big breakthroughs at clutch moments.
PBKS-X Factors
PBKS have been getting consistent support from top-order batters such as Shreyas Iyer and Priyansh Arya who have played crucial roles for PBKS to get close to the opponent’s total on many occasions. Apart from that, Shashank Singh and Nehal Wadhera have played crucial knocks in the lower order. Arshdeep Singh. Yuzvendra Chahal and Marco Jansen have been impressive with their bowling in the last couple of matches and will be looking to deliver match-winning spells in the upcoming match against KKR.
