IPL 2025: KKR Playing XI vs PBKS- Match 44

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are coming off two successive defeats in the 44th encounter of IPL 2025 against the Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens. They are currently in the seventh position in the points table with three wins in eight encounters at a net run rate of +0.212.

It was a seven-wicket defeat for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side to kick off their campaign. They continued their struggling and inconsistent season with one victory in two games. Most of their veteran and retained players have not performed as they were anticipated of.

Time is running out for the franchise, which needs five wins in the last six games to confirm its qualification for the playoffs.

IPL 2025: KKR Playing XI vs PBKS- Match 44

Openers- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) and Sunil Narine

The KKR management decided to drop their experienced wicket-keeper batter, Quinton de Kock, and brought Rahmanullah Gurbaz into the side. But that didn’t change the results much. The Afghanistan batter ended with just one run in four balls.

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Sunil Narine grabbed 17 runs in 13 balls, but every team has cracked the code to dismiss the veteran. Rashid Khan, in the previous game, was successful for the Gujarat Titans to send the aggressive batter back to the pavilion early in the inning.

Rahane, coming into the presentation ceremony, at the end of the game, accepted their lack of planning in that opening department of the season. He reckoned that they hardly got off to a flying start in the IPL 2025.

Middle order- Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali/ Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Ajinkya is the only bright spot for the franchise. The right-handed batter is the leading run-getter of the side with 271 runs in eight innings at an average of 38.71 and a strike rate of 146.48, having on three half-centuries at the best score of 61.

Venkatesh Iyer’s returns this year are so poor. Apart from the single game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he whacked the bowlers around the park. In the last game, he struggled badly against the spinners, which is his strong zone in the league for the last few editions.

It’s hard to believe how Angkrish Raghuvanshi is KKR’s second leading run-scorer this year with 187 runs in seven innings at 39.40 and a strike rate of 149.24, and he stands at the 29th position among all the batters in the list.

Andre Russell will be under pressure to deliver for KKR. In an evening home fixture against a side that doesn’t play spin well, Kolkata is likely to go with Moeen Ali, but they may also bring Rovman Powell into consideration.

Ramandeep Singh hasn’t done anything significant to be in the playing eleven for the game against Punjab. Manish Pandey could take his place.

Bowlers: Varun Chakravarthy (Impact), Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora

KKR was incredible in pulling the game in their favor towards the back end of the inning. The 114-run opening partnership in 12.2 overs for the Titans indicated the opponents posting over 200 runs on the board, but the bowlers pulled it back beautifully.

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None of Narine nor Varun Chakravarthy were able to pick up wickets in the middle overs, and that would be in their mind, going into the last five overs of the inning.

KKR Predicted Playing XI vs PBKS- Match 44, IPL 2025

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali/ Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana.

Impact Sub: Vaibhav Arora.