Top News

Kolkata Knight Riders haven't had a good start to IPL 2026. KKR are languishing in ninth place in the points table after losing both their opening matches.

The 12th match of IPL 2026 will be played between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday evening. Defeating the Punjab Kings at their home ground and taking two points will be a big challenge for KKR.

Kolkata Knight Riders haven't had a good start to IPL 2026. KKR are languishing in ninth place in the points table after losing both their opening matches. In their opening match, they lost by 6 wickets to the Mumbai Indians at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. At their home ground, Eden Gardens, they lost by 65 runs to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Consequently, their third match of the season against the Punjab Kings is crucial for KKR. Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR will look to register their first win of the season by defeating Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings.

Defeating the Punjab Kings won't be easy for KKR. Punjab is fourth in the points table after winning both of its matches this season. Punjab's batting is explosive, and its bowling is lethal. Punjab's batting strengths lie in its two openers (Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh), as well as Cooper Connolly and Shreyas Iyer. The bowling unit comprises Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Vijay Kumar Vaishak, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Marco Jansen and Marcus Stoinis balance the team's batting and bowling. Thus, Punjab's team is extremely balanced and strong.

KKR needs to improve both its batting and bowling. Captain Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, along with Rinku Singh, have been the only contributors to the batting. The bowling has been weak. Only a strong team performance against Punjab will ensure KKR secures two points.

Speaking of the pitch, the Eden Gardens pitch is generally considered to be a batsman-friendly one. The fast outfield makes scoring runs easy. The surface is flat, and the ball comes onto the bat nicely, allowing batsmen to play freely. Fast bowlers may receive some assistance early in the match, but as the game progresses, the pitch slows down, and spin bowlers begin to make an impact. Chasing targets is often easier due to the short boundaries and dew.

The weather could pose a challenge for KKR and PBKS. According to the Meteorological Department, the weather could impact the KKR-PBKS match. The city is expected to remain cloudy throughout the day, with rain expected. Along with rain, strong winds and thunderstorms could also disrupt the match. The chance of rain between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM is 40 percent, increasing to 50 percent in the next hour and gradually decreasing at night. In such circumstances, the possibility of a shortened match increases.

A total of 35 matches have been played between the two teams so far. KKR has the upper hand in these matches. KKR has won 21 matches, while Punjab Kings have won 13. One match between the two teams was abandoned.

KKR's probable playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), C Green, RK Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SP Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani.

Punjab Kings Probable Playing: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, S Iyer (captain), Shashank Singh, MP Stoinis, M Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vaishakh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

PAK