IPL 2023, PBKS vs KKR: Under new leadership, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings head for a positive start | Cricket News
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Injuries on both sides, plus the absence of a few foreign players, will limit the options of the two teams, who already have new leader Punjab’s. Shikhar Dhawan and Kolkata Nitish Rana.
These are two franchises, which over the years have flattered to deceive. The inconsistency in team selection also seems to affect them badly.
While PBKS finished sixth, two-time champions KKR finished in seventh place one place down in seventh place in last year’s 10-team competition.
However, in theory, PBKS seems to be slightly stronger than KKR. But the absence of England player Jonny Bairstow is sure to leave a big gap in Punjab’s composition.
Bairstow has been removed from the whole IPL as he continues to recover from a leg injury he sustained while playing golf last September.
In Bairstow’s place, PBKS brought in this season’s BBL player of the season, Matthew Short, who was tipped to open the game alongside Dhawan.
Other key PBKS players who will miss Saturday’s game are the all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who has yet to be cleared by the ECB, following a knee injury, and South African Kagiso Rabada, who is currently playing. performance of national obligations.
The PBKS team has a lot of all-round players, the most dangerous of which is $2 million plus buys Sam Curran, who is a very good stickman and a very good death thrower.
Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza is another comprehensive utility PBKS you can rely on.
But they will depend on Dhawan and Short to deliver top-level consistency. On the bowling front, PBKS will be absent from Rabada on Saturday and if he is absent the responsibility will fall on Arshdeep Singh, former guard Rishi Dhawan, Curran and foot spinner Rahul Chahar to do the job.
The Mohali-based team will also rely on the tactical skills of coach Trevor Bayliss to remove the title of perennial underdogs of the season.
PBKS has never won an IPL title in the past 15 years. The last time they came was the final in 2014 and lost in the semi-finals in the inaugural season.
For the two-time KKR champion, new coach Chandrakant Pandit will be key as it is now an open secret that he, along with Mumbai adamant Abhishek Nayar, will make all decisions from coaching staff and Rana’s sole job will be to execute them.
KKR has also been injured with regular captain and batting mainstay Shreyas being nearly ruled out of the tournament because of a back problem.
Bangladeshi Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das will also miss the opening match due to national commitments.
KKR’s strength also lies in the team’s almighty players with the likes of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Weise, Vernkatesh Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan in their ranks.
Although both Tim Southee and Lockie Fergusson have joined the KKR team, the latter is unlikely to start Saturday after injuring his right hamstring last week.
KKR’s weakness lies in the unstable top order and it remains to be seen who will hold the rounds.
In Wiese, Rinku Singh and Afghan Rahmanullah Gurbanz, KKR has some great players that can win on their given day.
On the bowling front, Southee and Umesh Yadav will lead the attack along with Shardul Thakur and Varun Chakravarthy.
(With agency input)
