HIGHLIGHTS PBKS vs KKR IPL 2025 Match 31 - Result, Scorecard

All set for the chase to commence. Shreyas Iyer and his men stride out to the centre. It will be Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock to open the innings for the Knight Riders. Marco Jansen has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. QDK will face the first ball. Here we go!

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Right then, Kolkata Knight Riders need just 112 to win this contest, and if they get the opportunity, they would be looking to finish this off quickly to up their net run rate. That said, cricket has a knack for springing surprises, and the Punjab Kings will need to strike early in the Powerplay to have even a glimmer of hope in this one. Back in a bit for the chase.

Varun Chakaravarthy from KKR is up for a chat. Varun feels good about his bowling performance, although he believes the pitch was more suited to a score of 180-190 rather than the actual target. He expresses admiration for Harshit Rana's contribution and is pleased to be playing alongside Sunil Narine, with whom he has a long-standing relationship. He notes that the dew has started to set in, which might affect the game as the ball has already started to skid off the deck.

The Kolkata Knight Riders kept chipping away at the wickets, and not a single PBKS batter showed the intent to settle in and anchor the innings. PBKS did use the impact sub on an extra batter, but to no avail, as Suryansh Shedge too perished for a single-digit score. Shashank Singh and Xavier Bartlett tried to get PBKS to a respectable total as they stitched a small 23-run partnership, but that was not enough as Shashank perished to an off-cutter from Vaibhav Arora.

The final wicket falling to a mix-up perfectly encapsulates the kind of night it has been for the Punjab Kings. It's a stark contrast from racking up a mammoth 245 in their previous outing in Hyderabad to being bundled out for just 111 with 4.3 overs left unused. Earlier, after opting to bat first, the innings started with the openers getting off to a good start, as PBKS were 33 for no loss at the start of the 4th over, but then Priyansh Arya fell to Harshit Rana, and that started a procession of wickets.

Vaibhav Arora to Xavier Bartlett, OUT! A MIX-UP AND GONE! When it rains, it pours. Another poor decision-making from the batters of Punjab Kings and they are bundled out for 111. This was on a good length around middle and leg, Xavier Bartlett did well to smash this towards the left of Venkatesh Iyer, down at long on. Iyer runs sideways to his left and fields this before throwing it towards the bowler. A bit of mix-up between the tailenders as Xavier Bartlett is off for the second run. He gets sent back and is caught outside his ground as Vaibhav Arora collects the throw and removes the bails at the non-striker's end.

Vaibhav Arora to Arshdeep Singh, Short-pitched, around off, Arshdeep Singh slaps this through mid on for a single.

Arshdeep Singh is the last man in.

Vaibhav Arora to Shashank Singh, OUT! PLUMB IN FRONT! The change works for KKR as Vaibhav Arora removes Shashank Singh from the middle. Slower one, angling into the batter. Shashank Singh gets caught off guard as he plays for the pace on delivery. The bat swings early and the ball comes late. Sneaks past the bat and Singh is hit on the pads. A gentle appeal is all the umpire was waiting for to raise his finger. Shashank Singh tries his luck and sends this upstairs. The UltraEdge confirms a gap between bat and ball and the Ball Tracker, with three reds affirming the on-field decision of OUT.

Anrich Nortje to Xavier Bartlett, On a length, on middle, hit well this time but straight to the fielder at mid on for a dot.

Anrich Nortje to Xavier Bartlett, Back of a length, just over the stumps. Bartlett backs away and swings again but misses.

Anrich Nortje to Xavier Bartlett, FOUR! Top-edged for four but PBKS and Xavier Bartlett wouldn't mind one bit. Short-pitched again from Nortje, Xavier Bartlett moves to his leg side again and swings at it. Gets a top edge and the ball sails behind the stumps for a boundary towards fine leg.

Anrich Nortje to Xavier Bartlett, Short-pitched, on middle and off, Xavier Bartlett moves to his leg side and flat bats this to Andre Russell at mid on for no run.

Anrich Nortje to Shashank Singh, Nortje bends his back, angling this into the batter. Shashank Singh moves to his leg side and pushes this through mid on for one.

Anrich Nortje to Shashank Singh, On a length around off, Shashank gets right behind the line of it and blocks it out.

STRATEGIC BREAK! Ever since the opening stand was broken, things have spiralled downward for the Punjab Kings. They have continued to back their attacking approach, but it has cost them dearly with wickets falling at regular intervals. Shashank Singh is now waging a lone battle, trying to shepherd the tail and push the total to something more respectable. Kolkata Knight Riders will look to keep Singh off strike as much as possible and wrap this up quickly. Varun Chakaravarthy has been subbed out, having completed his spell of 4 overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been subbed in as the impact player by KKR. Anrich Nortje to bowl after the break. 2-0-18-1 so far for Nortje.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, Comes round the wicket, angling one away from the batter. Shashank Singh steps across and nudges this towards the vacant area on the leg side for a single to end a good over for PBKS.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, Floated on off, Xavier Bartlett pushes this away towards long off for a single more.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, Comes back into the line of stumps, does Varun. The batter drills this down the ground for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, SIX! One of the most gorgeous-looking strokes from Singh for a six. Tossed up, wide outside off, Shashank Singh reaches at it and lofts this up and over cover and over the fence for a biggie. Something to cheer for the home crowd.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, Darted on the pads, Xavier Bartlett pushes this down to long on for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, Full and on off, Xavier Bartlett drills this back at the bowler for no run.

Sunil Narine to Xavier Bartlett, Quicker and fuller around middle and off, Xavier Bartlett pushes this through mid on for a single to close another good over for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, Too full, on the pads, Shashank Singh leans onto it and eases this to long on for an easy rotation of strike.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, WIDE! Full and wide down the leg, Shashank Singh misses out on the flick. Wided.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, A loud appeal for LBW, but the way Shashank Singh takes his front foot across the line and outside off, saves him here.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, Quicker one, around off, Shashank Singh hops back and defends this out.

Sunil Narine to Xavier Bartlett, On off, on a length, Xavier Bartlett beats the fielder inside the circle at short mid-wicket and takes a single to bring Shashank Singh back on strike.

Sunil Narine to Xavier Bartlett, Quicker one on off, Xavier Bartlett thumps this closer to the fielder at short mid-wicket for no run.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, Tossed up wide outside off, Xavier Bartlett works this past the bowler to his right for a single down to long on.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, Quicker one, full and on the pads, Xavier Bartlett flicks this towards mid-wicket for a dot.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, Pushed through on leg, Singh drills this to long on for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, Full and on the pads, Bartlett flicks this in the gap on the leg side for one.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Xavier Bartlett, One coming into the batter, outside off, Xavier Bartlett gets it away on leg for a dot.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, Quicker and around off, Shashank pushes this towards the off side for a single.

Xavier Bartlett walks out.

Sunil Narine to Marco Jansen, OUT! BOWLED! Another one bites the dust! Slower through the air on off, turning into the right hander, Jansen charges down the track to loft it over the bowler's head, but he connects with thin air, as the ball sneaks through the bat and pad gap and crashes into the stumps.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, Floated on off, Shashank gides this towards off for one.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, FOUR! Lucky for PBKS! Full on off, Shashank goes for the slog sweep and connects it. Rinku Singh runs good ground to his left at deep mid-wicket and stretches his hands out. The ball grazes his fingertips and drops down before trickling into the fence.

Sunil Narine to Shashank Singh, Pushed through on the pads, Shashank Singh nudges this closer to mid-wicket for no run.

Sunil Narine to Marco Jansen, Full and on off, Marco Jansen strides in front and tucks this through mid on for one.

Sunil Narine to Suryansh Shedge, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Sunil Narine gets in on the act! PBKS are in tatters! Short and outside off, Shedge goes for the cut shot as the ball takes the outside edge. The wicket-keeper, Quinton de Kock, takes a good catch to his right. That was a thick edge, but QDK managed it well. Marco Jansen is the new batter.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, Tossed up, on off, Shashank Singh reaches out in front and defends it with his bat close to the front pad.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Suryansh Shedge, Looped up, full and on off, driven to long off for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Suryansh Shedge, Short turning into the right hander, Shedge works it into the leg side and immediately calls for two, as the ball goes in between square leg and deep mid-wicket fielder. Comfortable two runs completed.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, That ball stopped a bit in the wicket! Shorter in length, on off, Shashank goes on the back foot and looks to work it into the leg side, but gets a bit of leading edge that goes to the right of the bowler. Batters take a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Shashank Singh, Full on off, Shashank Singh drives it off the front foot to the short cover fielder. Dot ball.

Shashank Singh is in next.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Glenn Maxwell, OUT! BOWLED HIM! A googly that sneaks through the gate! On a good length turning into the right hander, Maxwell gets into a precarious position as he looks to play it into the off side and leaves a big gap between bat and pad. Maxwell does not pick the googly and the ball goes through the gate to crash into the stumps.

Anrich Nortje to Glenn Maxwell, Short ball that keeps on following Maxwell, who eventually manages to get out of the way. Quinton de Kock dives to his left and gets a good hand on it, as he deflects it towards deep fine leg. The deep fine leg fielder runs to his right and cuts it off near the boundary. Batters run a bye.

Anrich Nortje to Suryansh Shedge, Back of a length on off, Shedge defends it off the back foot besides the pitch on the off side. The batters are quick enough to run a single.

STRATEGIC BREAK! The first 8.4 overs have been filled with action, as both teams have landed their punches. The Punjab Kings raced off the blocks before being pegged back by Harshit Rana. Despite the setbacks, PBKS have stuck to their aggressive approach. It remains to be seen whether they look to reset and build or continue swinging for the fences. As for the Kolkata Knight Riders, they’ll be keen to maintain the same intensity and keep the pressure on with sharp bowling and committed fielding. With Shashank Singh waiting in the wings, it was expected that he would walk in next, but instead, Suryansh Shedge has been brought in as the Impact Player. Prabhsimran Singh has been subbed out.

Anrich Nortje to Nehal Wadhera, OUT! CAUGHT! ANRICH NORTJE HAS HIS REVENGE! Short ball on middle, Wadhera was lining up for the pull shot as he moved a touch across, but unfortunately, he gets rushed in the shot. Hits it in the air towards deep square leg where Venkatesh Iyer takes a simple catch.

Anrich Nortje to Nehal Wadhera, FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for PBKS and Nehal Wadhera! Full on off, Wadhera whips it just over short mid-wicket's head into the gap for four.

Anrich Nortje to Nehal Wadhera, FOUR! GOOD SHOT! A touch fuller from Anrich Nortje, Wadhera plays the square cut just past the diving point fielder for four.

Anrich Nortje to Nehal Wadhera, Length ball just outside off, Wadhera solidly defends it off the back foot to short cover.

Harshit Rana to Glenn Maxwell, Length ball on off, Maxwell defends it to point fielder. Dot ball.

Harshit Rana to Glenn Maxwell, Pace off delivery again, a touch fuller this time, outside off, Maxi has waft at that as the ball sneaks under his bat and goes on the bounce to the keeper. Perhaps beaten by the change in pace.

Harshit Rana to Glenn Maxwell, Length ball, seaming into the right hander, in the channel, Maxwell looks to play the cut, but gets an under edge on it as the ball drops into the ground.

Harshit Rana to Nehal Wadhera, Off cutter on a length, just outside off, Wadhera defends this into the off side and sets off for a quick single, as the point fielder runs towards the ball.

Harshit Rana to Nehal Wadhera, Short and sliding down leg, Wadhera looks to pull this over fine leg, but can't get any bat on it, as the ball goes to the wicket-keeper. Wide given.

Harshit Rana to Glenn Maxwell, Oh, hello! Good comeback by Rana, as this length ball seams away off the deck, in the channel outside off, Maxwell hangs back to defend and gets beaten on the outside edge. Quinton de Kock, too, is beaten by the movement, as he can't collect it. Batters run for the bye.

Harshit Rana to Glenn Maxwell, FOUR! LOVELY! What timing on that shot! Back of a length around off, Glenn Maxwell opens the face of his bat and guides this to the right of deep third for four.

Harshit Rana to Glenn Maxwell, Short, around off, and well above the batter's head, Glenn Maxwell lets it go. Wide given.

Sunil Narine to Glenn Maxwell, A touch fuller around off, Maxwell leans forward and pushes it into the off side, to the right of the point fielder for a single to retain the strike.

Sunil Narine to Glenn Maxwell, A touch short on middle, Maxwell works it to short mid-wicket. Dot ball.

Sunil Narine to Glenn Maxwell, Slower through the air on middle, Maxi just pushes it with soft hands into the leg side, where the fielders are on the rope and he takes advantage of the same and gets back for two.

Sunil Narine to Nehal Wadhera, Shorter, turning down leg, Wadhera flicks this to the right of short fine leg for a single.

Sunil Narine to Nehal Wadhera, Slower in pace again, on the leg stump, Wadhera goes for the reverse sweep and can't connect it neatly, as it hits the gloves and goes along the ground to short third. Dot ball.

Sunil Narine to Nehal Wadhera, Slower through the air, shorter in length, on middle, Wadhera pushes it off the back foot, back to the bowler.

Glenn Maxwell walks in at number 6. Also, Sunil Narine comes into the attack.

Harshit Rana to Prabhsimran Singh, OUT! CAUGHT! Harshit Rana has the last laugh! It is the Rana-Ramandeep combo once again. Rana bends his back and goes into the wicket, on off. The ball is not that wide for the cut but Prabhsimran Singh goes for it. Gets it high on the bat and it lobs tamely towards backward point. Ramandeep Singh takes the catch near his face on the edge of the ring. At the end of the Powerplay, the Kings are 54/4.

Harshit Rana to Prabhsimran Singh, On a back of a length, around off, Singh flays at the delivery but misses.

Harshit Rana to Prabhsimran Singh, SIX! Back-to-back sixes for Prabhsimran Singh! Rana serves the off-cutter, on a length, around off, Prabhsimran Singh shimmies down the track and has to reach out to connect. Plays the cross-batted lofted stroke and deposits it over long off for six more.

Harshit Rana to Prabhsimran Singh, SIX! Cleverly done! On a shortish length, on off, Prabhsimran Singh waits on the back foot and arches back. Uses the pace and plays the upper cut over deep third for a biggie.

Harshit Rana to Prabhsimran Singh, This keeps a bit low, closer to the off stump, on a back of a length, Singh hops to deal with it but gets beaten for pace as the ball scoots under the bat.

Harshit Rana to Prabhsimran Singh, Short and wide on off, Singh throws his hands at the delivery but there is a bit of extra bounce and the ball flies over the horizontal bat.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Nehal Wadhera, On middle, on a nagging length, defended with a straight bat by Nehal. Back-to-back succesful overs for the Knight Riders.

Nehal Wadhera walks in next.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Josh Inglis, OUT! CLEANED HIM UP! The googly does the trick for Varun Chakaravarthy! After a brisk start, the Kings have slipped from 39/0 to 42/3. Serves it on the shorter side, on off, Josh Inglis gets down on a knee to unleash the slog sweep but the ball is not that full for the shot. Inglis fails to connect and the ball sneaks under the blade. The ball goes through to crash into the stumps.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Josh Inglis, Sliding onto the pads, on a nagging length, Josh swipes to the right of deep backward square leg for a couple of runs. Ramandeep Singh mops it up in the deep with a slide.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Josh Inglis, Short and turning in, on off, Inglis punches it off the back foot to cover.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Josh Inglis, A big appeal for LBW, but the impact looks outside the line! On off, on a length, Inglis goes for the reverse but gets beaten as the ball spins back in to hit him on the front pad.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Prabhsimran Singh, Quick single taken! Floated up, on off, Singh steers it in front of short third and takes a quick single.

Harshit Rana to Josh Inglis, And again! Closer to the off stump, on a hard length, Inglis fiddles at the delivery but gets beaten as the ball zips off the deck.

Harshit Rana to Josh Inglis, Lands it on a back of a length, outside off, Inglis goes for the cut but gets beaten for pace.

Josh Inglis walks out to bat on his IPL debut.

Harshit Rana to Shreyas Iyer, OUT! CAUGHT! Excellent running catch from Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana has two in the over! Rana serves it short and wide on off, there to be put away, Iyer throws his hands at it and does not have any intention of playing this along the ground. Goes hard at it but gets it off the toe end of the bat. It goes flat and low towards deep point where Ramandeep Singh runs in off the ropes and puts a dive ahead to take it inches off the turf. A two-ball duck for the PBKS skipper.

Harshit Rana to Shreyas Iyer, This skids through and keeps a bit low, on off, Iyer hops to punch it away but gets beaten as the ball sneaks under the blade.

Shreyas Iyer is in at number 3.

Harshit Rana to Priyansh Arya, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Six and out for Priyansh Arya against Harshit Rana! Rana strikes with his second ball of the night. On a hard length, at the hips, Arya does not go through the shot completely and half-heartedly whips it behind square on the leg side. Skies it straight up towards deep backward square leg where Ramandeep Singh takes a few steps ahead and snaffles the skier.

Harshit Rana to Priyansh Arya, SIX! Harshit Rana is welcomed with a biggie! Harshit starts with an off-cutter from over the wicket, on a length, Arya swings through the line and launches it over mid off for a six.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, On off, on a good length, dabbed wide of backward point for a single by Arya. 20 runs off the over.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, FOUR! Gets enough bat on it, does Arya! On a back of a length, on middle, Priyansh takes a couple of steps down the track to go over mid on. The bat turns in his hand but he manages to clear Sunil Narine at mid on and picks up a boundary.

Vaibhav Arora to Prabhsimran Singh, Nicely bowled! Arora spots the batter stepping out and he drags the length back. Tucks the batter up for room. Prabhsimran Singh can only turn it in front of mid-wicket for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Prabhsimran Singh, FOUR! Excellent use of the feet! 14 runs off the first 3 balls. Shaping in, on middle, Singh skips down the track and gets to the pitch of the ball. Drills it with a straight bat to the right of mid off for four more.

Vaibhav Arora to Prabhsimran Singh, SIX! Effortlessly done! Arora gets the ball to swing back into the right-hander, on middle and leg, on a length, Singh picks it up nicely and whips it over mid-wicket for a flat six.

Vaibhav Arora to Prabhsimran Singh, FOUR! So close! Full and straight, at the stumps, Prabhsimran Singh walks across his stumps and gets low. Scoops it towards short fine leg where Anrich Nortje flies to his right and sticks out his right hand but the ball evades him.

Anrich Nortje to Priyansh Arya, FOUR! Dispatched! Nortje takes pace off but gets the length wrong. Bangs it into the wicket but it sits up to be hit. Arya flat bats it over mid on for a boundary. Nortje started well but the over ends up going for 9 runs.

Anrich Nortje to Priyansh Arya, Swing and a miss! Corrects the line and bashes the hard length, Priyansh Arya looks to hit this one back over the bowler's head but misses.

Anrich Nortje to Priyansh Arya, FOUR! Up and over! Angling away, slightly fuller, Arya stays leg side of the ball and gets his hands through the ball. Lofts it over cover for a boundary.

Anrich Nortje to Prabhsimran Singh, Hurls it on a good length, on middle, Prabhsimran nudges it wide of square leg for a single.

Anrich Nortje to Prabhsimran Singh, On a hard length, at the hips, Prabhsimran Singh is a bit rushed but manages to tuck it to short fine leg.

Anrich Nortje to Prabhsimran Singh, Beats the bat straight away! Gets the ball to skid through and nip back in off the deck, on a back of a length, Singh is cramped for room on the cut and gets beaten on the inside edge.

Playing in his first game of the season, Anrich Nortje will operate from the other end.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, Miscued, but Arya gets away with it! Slanting away, on off, Priyansh Arya loses his shape as he looks to go big down the ground. Slices it over backward point for a couple of runs.

Vaibhav Arora to Prabhsimran Singh, Lands it on a good length, at the stumps, Singh steps down the track and taps it in front of cover. Opens his account with a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, Priyansh Arya and the Punjab Kings are underway! On a good length, on off, Arya pushes it to the right of mid off and gets off the mark with a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, Fuller in length, moving away in the air, on the off stump, Priyansh Arya solidly defends.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, At 126.3 kph, the length is pulled back and it is pushed across, Arya waits back to punch it away but miscues it off the inside edge beside the pitch on the leg side.

Vaibhav Arora to Priyansh Arya, Arora starts well! Begins from over the wicke and gets the ball to shape away from the left-hander, Arya drives this full ball straight to cover-point.

We are all set to get going in Mullanpur. Ajinkya Rahane leads his troops out onto the centre. They are followed by the explosive opening pair of the Punjab Kings, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. Vaibhav Arora will open the attack for the Knight Riders. Arora to Arya with a slip in place. Off we go...

Impact players nominated by Kolkata Knight Riders - Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell and Luvnith Sisodia.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje (In for Moeen Ali), Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Impact players nominated by Punjab Kings - Vyshak Vijaykumar, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar and Praveen Dubey.

Punjab Kings (Playing XI) - Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Josh Inglis (WK) (On IPL debut) (In for Marcus Stoinis), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett (On IPL debut) (In for Lockie Ferguson), Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

The skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, mentions that his team was looking to bowl first anyway and they intend to chase down whatever target Punjab sets. He highlights that the toss doesn't play a significant role in their strategy, emphasizing the importance of performing well in both batting and bowling departments. Rahane also informs that Anrich Nortje replaces Moeen Ali in the playing XI.

The captain of the Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer says they are going to bat first. He feels the wicket has been playing tremendously well in the last two games, and the dew does come in, but the outfield doesn’t really quicken up. He also mentions that teams batting first have won both the games this year at this venue. Feels that his team needs to up their game and take their catches and create some brilliance in the field. Reckons that fielding is one aspect which can change the momentum of the game. Jokingly says that he doesn’t remember the changes in the XI and that he will get back on it later.

TOSS - Punjab Kings have won the flip of the coin and they will BAT first.

PITCH REPORT - Danny Morrison is near the deck. Mentions that the square boundaries are skewed with 70 metres to one side and 61 metres to the other, with the straight hit being 75 metres. Simon Katich joins him and says that this is a wonderful wicket. Adds that it is absolutely rock hard and he expects the ball to come nicely onto the bat. Shares that in the two games so far this season at this venue, teams batting first have scored 200-plus on both occasions and have managed to defend it. States that it has not been a happy hunting ground for the Punjab Kings, with just 2 wins out of the 7 games here so far. Feels that Punjab have some serious firepower, and the KKR spinners will have their work cut out. Katich adds that PBKS have struggled to take wickets in the Powerplay and with Lockie Ferguson ruled out, he wonders whether Xavier Bartlett could get a game tonight.

Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, are looking to break their alternating loss-win pattern. They've had a mixed tournament, with strong batting and bowling, but inconsistent performances have held them back. Quinton de Kock has had some good knocks, but hasn't been at his best. Sunil Narine has done his job at the top and with the ball, but the form of Andre Russell has been concerning, struggling with both bat and ball. With both teams looking to outdo each other, this game promises to be a thriller. Stay tuned for toss and team updates.

Punjab's batting has been strong, but their bowlers have struggled, conceding over 200 runs in four of their first five games. They'll need to address their bowling issues and decide whether to replace injured Lockie Ferguson with Xavier Bartlett or add depth with Azmatullah Omarzai or Aaron Hardie. For PBKS, Priyansh Arya has impressed, but Prabhsimran Singh needs to step up and support him. The middle order, featuring Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, hasn't met expectations, although Stoinis showed some form in the previous game. Punjab Kings may also go with Josh Inglis to replace one of the two Aussies in the middle order as well. 

Hello and welcome to all the cricket enthusiasts from across the globe. The Punjab Kings are set to host the Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 31 of IPL 2025. Both teams have won three games each, with PBKS in sixth place and KKR in fifth. Punjab Kings are coming off a loss after failing to defend 245 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, while KKR bounced back with a convincing win over Chennai Super Kings.

... MATCHDAY ...

The Indian Premier League 2025 is moving at a swift pace, and we are already into the 4th week of this season. All teams have now played at least 5 games each, and things will only heat up from here on. In match number 31, the Punjab Kings will be taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Both teams have 3 wins on the board, and they will be looking to climb up on the table with a win in this game. Punjab Kings started their campaign, winning 2 of their first 2 games as the Iyer-Ponting era began with a bang. However, they lost 2 games in their next three outings. In their 3rd game, they lost to RR by 50 runs, and then in the 5th game, a storm named Abhishek Sharma blew them away, as they failed to defend 245. Their batting order, led by Shreyas Iyer, has clicked from the word go, as they have now posted three 200-plus totals in the three outings when they batted first. In their second game against LSG, they made a mockery of the target of 172 set by LSG as they chased it down in the 17th over. Shreyas Iyer is the leading run scorer for them, and their openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have given them some quick starts. They have one of the longest batting lineups, with Marco Jansen batting at number 9. Other batters too have chipped in with some good performances here and there. On the other hand, their bowling has been a cause of concern, as they failed to defend 246 against SRH in their last game. Similarly, in the first game against GT, their bowling lineup almost failed to defend 243 as they won a very close contest by just 11 runs. Arshdeep Singh, their pace spearhead, has failed to take wickets upfront, and their lead spinner Yuzvendra Chahal too hasn’t found his rhythm, as he hasn’t picked up consistent wickets. Lockie Ferguson had a good outing against CSK, but then, in the game against SRH, his hamstring injury seemed to have come back to haunt him, as he went off the field after bowling just two balls. He was seen holding his left leg before going off the field and has been ruled out indefinitely. The Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, are flying high after their dominant away win over CSK. Their bowling has been the key for them. Varun Chakaravarthy has been consistently among the wickets. Sunil Narine delivered a superb performance with the ball in the last game. Their pace duo of Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana, too, have been mighty impressive. Their batting has blown hot and cold at times. Their opening duo of Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine haven’t been able to put on consistent partnerships upfront. Venkatesh Iyer has delivered in only one game till now. Their veteran all-rounder Andre Russell and Rinku Singh haven’t had much time in the middle. However, their captain, Ajinkya Rahane, is the only batter who has delivered consistently and has led from the front. Kolkata Knight Riders would be hoping to put on some complete performances with the bat in the upcoming games. Now, coming to this game, one can expect another high-scoring game at Mullanpur. With both batting lineups having sufficient power hitters, the six hitting benchmarks will only go up. Will the Knight Riders continue their winning momentum and grab another away win? Or will the Kings get back on track with a win at their home venue? We shall find out.