Pepped up Punjab Kings (PBKS) and revamped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are ready to slug it out with each other as Shreyas Iyer-led side won the toss and opted to bowl first.
As far as KKR playing XI is concerned, Shivam Mavi has been included in place of wicket-keeper Sheldon Jackson, which means Sam Billings will be keeping wickets for the side. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada got his PBKS cap from head coach Anil Kumble as he replaced Sandeep Sharma.
"We're going to bowl first. The reason is obviously the swimming pool (of dew) that's visible in the evenings. As I said last game, it's about giving it your all to defend no matter what score you have on the board. All the players are dedicated and focused to perform their roles for the last two games. We can't complain (about having three games in a week), we're all professionals. One change - Shivam Mavi comes in for Sheldon Jackson," KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer said.
"We need to start well, assess the conditions early and bat well. We're just looking to play with the right attitude and right energy, if we do that, the results will take care of themselves. One change - KG (Rabada) comes in for Sandy (Sandeep). I thought he (Sandeep) bowled well last game but we had to get KG back in," PBKS captain Mayank Agarwal said.
Mayank's PBKS are beaming with confidence after their thrilling victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their IPL opener where they comprehensively chased down the colossal target of 206 with five wickets to spare on March 27.
On the other hand, KKR started off with a flyer by crushing the defending champions in the lPL 2022 lung-opener but then went down to RCB in the second match.
Head-to-Head
KKR and PBKS have faced each other in 29 matches in IPL so far. Out of these 29 games, Kolkata have won 19 whereas Punjab have come out victorious on 10 occasion.
Pitch report
"Games are coming thick and fast here, already the third game in Wankhede and the truth is it has not been easy to bat on. The first pitch had some spongy bounce and it was not easy for batters to get on top of the bounce. Pitch number 2 had a nice tinge of grass, there was a little bit of swing and lateral movement, all of that was making it difficult for the batters. This (today's pitch), I am not going to say it is a belter. But it is a very good looking pitch and there will be good balance between bat and ball. There is little grass and it is harder for the ball to get stuck into the surface. I still think it is going to move around, we will get some movement but it is not going to be as tricky in the powerplay," analysed the English commentator Nick Knight.
Kolkata Knight Riders' Playing XI:
Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer(c), Sam Billings(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Punjab Kings' Playing XI:
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Mayank Agarwal(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa(w), Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Raj Bawa, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar.
