IPL 2026 KKR vs PBKS:Kolkata Knight Riders will need a win to open their IPL campaign in this season. Their poor start might get worse when they face in-form Punjab Kings in their IPL clash at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Monday.

Kolkata Knight Riders

The three-time champions may struggle with the absence of pacers Mustafizur Rahman, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, and Matheesha Pathirana for their bowling department. KKR’s spin bowling attack is far from settled. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, their mystery spinners, and they have not looked good.

In contrast, KKR is playing out of their regular gameplay and last season had a forgettable campaign, finishing eighth for the first time since 2009. Despite having three top New Zealand players like Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra. KKR has failed to use its resources.

Punjab Kings

PBKS won their first match against the Gujarat Titans and chased down a 200+ target against the Chennai Super Kings in the second match. Their batting lineup is established stars across all positions. Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh made sure they chased the big number target to defeat CSK. Cooper Connolly and captain Shreyas Iyer have already scored one fifty this season.

Shreyas Iyer became the first captain to guide three different franchises — Delhi Capitals (2020), KKR (2024) and PBKS (2025) to the finals.

Pitch Report

The Eden Gardens pitch has drastically changed over the years. Earlier, the wicket was known to aid bowlers, particularly the spinners, during KKR’s initial success under Gautam Gambhir during the early 2010s.

In recent times, however, Eden Gardens has transformed and become an excellent batting wicket, with scores above 200 becoming a common phenomenon. The pitch can get even better for the chasing team under the floodlights.

Head to Head

Matches Played	35
Kolkata Knight Riders Won	21
Punjab Kings Won	13
Tied	0
No Result	1

Predicted Playing Xl

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):

Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani.

Punjab Kings (PBKS):

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Players to Watch

Sunil Narine

Always a threat at Eden Gardens. He holds the record for the most wickets in this rivalry against the Punjab Kings.

Ajinkya Rahane

Despite KKR’s poor start, Rahane has emerged as their leading run-getter. He’ll need to provide a steady platform if KKR is to post or chase a big total.

Shreyas Iyer

The former KKR captain returns to Eden Gardens leading PBKS. He has been doing the main carrying job in the middle order with great composure.

Yuzvendra Chahal

The player with the most wickets in IPL history. He can cause an impact as a mystery spinner. A key player for the Punjab Kings bowling department.

Prediction
According to the latest Google prediction Punjab Kings with 54.8% is favorable to win this match against Kolkata Knight Riders 45.2%.

PBKS enters as the slight favorite due to their momentum, having recently chased down 210 against CSK. KKR, however, has the homeground advantage at Eden Gardens, a venue where they have historically dominated.