IPL 2021: KKR vs PVKS – Match 45 : Preview, Playing XI, Pitch Report & Updates

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns with Punjab Kings in Match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL). KKR has exuded some great performances in the UAE leg of the IPL. The team won two consecutive matches before losing a final over thriller to CSK. However, the team yet again got back to winning ways when they defeated the in-form Delhi Capitals (DC) in their previous match by three wickets.

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For the Punjab Kings, things are getting a bit tense. Of the three matches they have played in the UAE leg so far, the KL Rahul-led side has secured just one victory. Their batting line-up witnessed a collapse in the previous game against Mumbai Indians. PBKS couldn’t defend the low total of 135 as MI won by six wickets.

KKR has displayed immense character to promote themselves up the points table. The team is currently placed at the fourth position with 10 points to their account. PBKS, on the other hand, need to win all their matches from now to fancy their chances of making it to the top four. This would thus be an enthralling contest to watch out for the cricket on-lookers. 

Pitch Report:

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Spinners might get some good help from this pitch of the Dubai International Stadium. On winning the toss, batting first can be a good option on this surface.

Playing XI:

Kolkata Knight Riders

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Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(wk), Sandeep Warrier, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Southee

Punjab Kings

KL Rahul (c, wk), Mandeep Singh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Chris Gayle, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Allis, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami

Key players:

Venkatesh Iyer 

Iyer put some belligerent shows with the bat in the first two games of the UAE leg. His contributions will be pivotal for KKR going ahead in the tournament. In four matches, he has scored 126 runs at an average of 42.00. Though he couldn’t contribute much with the bat in the previous game against DC, Iyer picked up two wickets for the team.

Ravi Bishnoi

He has been impressive for Punjab in their last two matches. In the match against Hyderabad, he scalped three wickets to fashion the team’s victory. He also displayed his flair against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians and picked up two important wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. He will aim to take the momentum further.