In the eighth game of the IPL 2022, the Kolkata Knight Riders will battle with The Punjab Kings. The match will take place on Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in their first game. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 5 wickets in their first game. Let’s preview this match from a betting perspective with odds provided by Betway.
| Betting Pick | Betting Odds @Betway |
| Punjab Kings to to win. | 1.75 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders to hit the most sixes | 1.90 |
| Punjab Kings to have the Highest Opening Partnership | 1.85 |
| Rabada to be PBKS’s top bowler | 3.50 |
To place a bet with Betway to get access to above odds click here.
History
KKR have won the IPL 2 times, in 2012 as well as 2014, and are generally considered as one of the stronger sides in the league, with an element of unpredictability about them. PBKS, in contrast have been among the poorest sides in the tournament historically, and have never won the tournament, with their highest finish being runners-up in 2014. These 2 teams have faced off 29 times in total, with KKR winning 19 of those, and PBKS winning only 10. Punjab Kings have not managed to even reach the play-off stage ever since the 2014 final where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Team News
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings faced Royal Challengers Bangalore sans wicketkeeper batsman Jonny Bairstow and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
Jonny Bairstow was in Grenada for the third Test match between the West Indies and England. Kagiso Rabada, on the other hand, had arrived in India following the conclusion of a three-match One-Day International series between South Africa and Bangladesh. He did, however, miss the game owing to a three-day quarantine period. Kagiso Rabada will head PBKS' bowling attack beginning with their next match against KKR.
Punjab Kings skipper Mayank Agarwal had chosen Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Odean Smith as his three overseas players for the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kagiso Rabada, on the other hand, may play in Punjab's next encounter against Kolkata, most likely in lieu of Raj Bawa, who was out for a first-ball duck against Bangalore. Apart from Bawa, all of PBKS’ batsmen impressed, with Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa proving to be the surprise factor. He overshadowed his international teammate Wanindu Hasaranga, who had grabbed a wicket with his first ball, in his 22-ball 43. Odean Smith, another debutant, finished the game with an unbroken eight-ball 25.
Punjab Kings Projected Playing XI against Kolkata Knight Riders: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa(wk), Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar
Kolkata Knight Riders
After winning the toss in the IPL 2022 opener between KKR and CSK, KKR chose to bowl first. With the aid of MS Dhoni's 50 and Ravindra Jadeja's 26, CSK managed to post a total of 131-5. Later, Ajinkya Rahane's 44-run knock helped KKR comfortably chase down the mark.
KKR has the option of fielding an extra international player in place of keeper Sheldon Jackson or pacer Shivam Mavi, who both struggled against Chennai. The Knight Riders lost their second game against RCB, though they almost defended a very modest total with some brilliant bowling.
Chamika Karunaratne of Sri Lanka, Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan, and Tim Southee of New Zealand are the international alternatives on the bench. Tim Southee or Mohammad Nabi might get a chance to play against Punjab. Shreyas Iyer gave KKR debuts to Ajinkya Rahane, English wicket-keeper Sam Billings, and domestic stalwart Sheldon Jackson in the absence of Australia's batsman Aaron Finch and bowler Pat Cummins against Chennai in their first game.
KKR Predicted Playing XI vs PBKS: Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy
Betting Preview, Picks And Prediction
To Win The Match
Punjab Kings are the favourites to win the match with odds of 1.75 as per Betway which is understandable given their dominating win over the Royal Challengers in their first game, where they chased down a huge total comfortably. While KKR also won their first game, they lost their second game to RCB despite a tough fight till the end as they almost defended a modest total. Their odds are
Top Team Batsman
Punjab Kings have a brilliant opening pair and both of them are the favourites to be their top scorers, with Shikhar Dhawan having odds of 3.00 and Mayank Agarwal’s odds being 3.60.
Captain Shreyas Iyer is again the favourite to be KKR’s top scorer in this match, as he is widely considered to be their most consistent batsman and has odds of 3.75. Opener Ajinkya Rahane, despite his poor form, has odds of 4.00 to be the top scorer.
Highest Opening Partnership
Punjab Kings are favourites at 1.85 to have the highest opening partnership as Mayank and Dhawan are an incredibly prolific pairing, and both are expected to continue giving PBKS some solid starts throughout the season. KKR on the other hand, haven’t had a single good opening stand in their first two matches.
Top Team Bowler
Kagiso Rabada is finally expected to make his debut for PBKS and he is instantly the favourite to be their top bowler at 3.50, followed by Arshdeep Singh at 3.75.
Umesh Yadav has surprisingly emerged as KKR’s favourite to be the top bowler at 3.75, while leggie Varun Chakravarthy has odds of 4.00.
Total Runs In The Match
Odds of there being more than 337.5 runs in this match are 1.85, as per Betway. This seems highly achievable as both these teams have some brilliant batsmen and have scored plenty of runs this season.
Individual Player Betting
- Mayank Agarwal to score more than 24.5 runs has odds of 1.87 , which is a tempting bet as he would like to continue with another solid innings. Nitish Rana to score more than 24.5 runs also has odds of 1.87, which is also a tempting bet as he would like to continue his current form and stabalize the KKR middle order.
- KKR to hit the most sixes has odds of 1.90, which can be tempting with Russel back in form, along with Iyer, Rana and Narine’s ability to clear the rope. PBKS to hit the most sixes also depends on Dhawan, Odean Smith and Rajapaksa.
- Rabada to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.00, while Umesh Yadav to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.30, which is attractive as he is in form.
