April 27, 2024
Highlights of the Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Punjab Kings IPL 2024 match: In their 20 overs, the Kolkata Knight Riders amassed 261/6 because to outstanding batting performances from Sunil Narine, Phil Salt, and Shreyas Iyer. These batsmen took the Punjab Kings bowlers to task with shots all over the park. The Punjab Kings players’ careless fielding and dropped catches helped to bolster their strong batting. For PBKS to win this game, they will need to chase 262 runs.
After winning the toss, Punjab Kings chose to bowl first against KKR. At Eden Gardens in Kolkata, match number 42 of the IPL 2024 pits the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Punjab Kings.
Despite the batsmen’s supremacy in the IPL 2024, bowling prowess is not one of Punjab Kings’ obstacles to overcome.
With 199 being the highest total against them on two occasions, PBKS stands out as the only team that has not let up 200 or more runs in an innings. This season, they have the highest bowling average of any team at 24.94, with the Kolkata Knight Riders coming in second at 25.47. Notably, PBKS has performed exceptionally well in the last overs (17–20), taking 23 wickets—the most in the 2024 Indian Premier League—while maintaining a strong average of 15.73 throughout this stage. At 8.98 runs per over, they are also the third most economical bowling unit.
But PBKS’s hitting deficiencies are exposed as they enter the Eden Gardens venue, where the 200-run threshold has been crossed in three of the last four games. With a strike rate of 137.31 and a batting average of 23.84, they now have the second-lowest scoring rate in the league. Compared to 24 other batters in the league who have reached this milestone, none of their batters have yet to score 200 runs. With 195 runs, Shashank Singh tops the PBKS scoring charts.
In order to overcome KKR, who have shown themselves to be a formidable opponent in both bowling and batting this season, PBKS needs to aim for a greater total than they have so far managed. They have to trust their bowlers to continue playing at their high level despite playing on KKR’s intimidating home field. It is noteworthy that PBKS has only won three of the previous twelve games played at Eden Gardens, and they have only triumphed once in the previous eight meetings.
