IPL 2023: (from left) Punjab Kings Sikandar Raza and Sam Curran; KKR's N Jagadeesan. IPL 2023: Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would still look to put their best foot forward as they lock horns in their opening IPL encounter at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali on Saturday. Both teams are plagued by injuries to their key players.
While Punjab Kings, who are perennial duds of the IPL, finished sixth, two-time champions KKR ended a rung below in the seventh spot in the 10-team competition last year. Both teams have skippers and coaches this season. Shikhar Dhawan will be at the helm of Punjab, domestic star Nitish Rana has replaced injured Shreyas Iyer as KKR captain.
Ahead of the tie, Indian Express looks at the possible playing XI of both teams.
Time to put on a show! 🎬 🤩
Sadda head coach, Trevor Bayliss can feel the jazba ahead of our opening match at Sadda Akhada! 🏟️#JazbaHaiPunjabi #SaddaPunjab #TATAIPL #PBKSvKKR pic.twitter.com/he9086MNuL
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 1, 2023
The hard-hitting all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who is yet to get clearance from the ECB, following a knee injury, is set to miss this match. That could mean that Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza, arguably the most underrated player in international cricket, gets a go. The 36-year-old is a utility all-rounder PBKS could bank upon. The all-rounder has recently tasted success with Lahore Qalandars when they went on to win the title two years in a row. Raza could be a like-to-like replacement for Livingstone. He is more than useful in the middle overs and with the bat can provide stability to a fragile middle-order of Punjab Kings.
The return for Sam Curran
This is Curran’s second stint with the franchise after making his IPL debut for the Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2019. He took 10 wickets and scored 95 runs in nine matches that season. In 2019, for all the obvious talent, he was still all promise, all clear blue sky. In 2023, he is a force to reckon with, and there’s clearly no ceiling for him. He became the most expensive player in IPL history when Punjab Kings roped in the all-rounder for Rs 18.50 crore at the IPL 2023 mini-auction.
Jagadeesan to open for KKR
N Jagadeesan never got that longer rope at CSK. He played only seven matches for the franchise before being released. The 27-year-old lit up the domestic season, scoring a record-breaking five-back-to-back List A centuries during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and has carried that form into the Ranji Trophy. In an unsettled top-order of the KKR, the Tamil Nadu opener might get a longer rope.
PBKS vs KKR Predicted XI
PBKS XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma, Sharukh Khan, Sam Curran, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh
Impact player – Vidwath Kaverappa
KKR XI: N Jagadeesan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Impact player – Lockie Ferguson
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