PBKS vs KKR match today: Less than a year after leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title, Shreyas Iyer will take on his former franchise — this time as captain of Punjab Kings (PBKS) — when the two sides clash in Mullanpur on Tuesday.
PBKS vs KKR Match Preview: Iyer’s resurgence under Ponting
Ahead of the 2025 season, KKR retained six players, leaving Iyer out. The move proved a blessing for the stylish right-hander, who has thrived under coach Ricky Ponting at PBKS. After finishing IPL 2024 with a strike rate of 146.86, Iyer has turbocharged his scoring to 208.33 this season — the highest among Indian batters with 100-plus balls faced. He’s also addressed his short-ball vulnerability, punishing pacers with authority.
Spin test awaits
Iyer and PBKS now face the tournament’s best spin attack. KKR’s spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have bowled 41 of the team’s 49 overs of spin this season, boasting the best average (20.62) and economy (6.73) among all sides. However, Iyer, familiar with both bowlers from his KKR days, has not been dismissed by spin so far this season.
IPL 2025 Match Today: Player line-ups
PBKS will be without Lockie Ferguson, likely turning to Xavier Bartlett or pace-bowling allrounders Azmatullah Omarzai and Aaron Hardie. KKR, fresh from breaking CSK’s five-match losing streak, will stick with their spin-heavy line-up, capitalising on Mullanpur’s slow surfaces.
Punjab Kings (likely XI): Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai/Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh.
Kolkata Knight Riders (likely XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.
Chahal and Rahane
PBKS’ Yuzvendra Chahal, the IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker, has struggled, taking just two wickets in five games at an economy of 11.13. Meanwhile, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane is their only batter past 200 runs this season.
PBKS vs KKR match pitch report
With 200-plus scores posted in both Mullanpur games this year, another high-scoring encounter is likely. The surface at Mullanpur has proven to be a batter’s paradise this season. Both matches played here so far have seen teams post totals in excess of 200 while batting first, with both those scores successfully defended. The pitch offers good pace and bounce early on, allowing batters to play their shots freely. As the game progresses, spinners tend to find some grip, especially in the middle overs, though it remains a high-scoring venue.
Expect another run-fest on Tuesday evening. Temperatures are expected to cool down from a daytime high of 38°C to around 27°C by match time, with no chance of rain. The captain winning the toss might opt to bat first, considering the trend of successful first-innings totals here.
Key Stats:
- Average first-innings score: 215
- Spinners’ average: 30.12
- Successful chases: 0 in 2 matches