Eden Gardens Pitch Report: KKR vs PBKS: Southpaw’s to collide in the 53rd match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL 2023) on Monday, May 8 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. Nitish Rana led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a hope to reach the top in the points table and improve their playoff qualification chances. The Knight Riders are coming off a win but have lost their last two home encounters. Although, Shikhar Dhawan and The Kings lost their last match, they are currently superior position to qualify in comparison to KKR. A win for either team could see them propel into the top 5. Follow IPL 2023 LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN
Nomoskar Kolkata 👋🏻#JazbaHaiPunjabi #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/FXCxMzVjDL
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 7, 2023
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With their four victories and six defeats, KKR are currently in bottom three with DC and SRH. In order to advance to the playoffs, they must try and win each of their remaining games. KKR’s batting has been the bigger issue for them this season. The openers have played individuals knocks but haven’t been able to work in tandem. Their middle order trio of Rinku, Rana and Iyer have worked but not as well as they would have liked. Their bowling has been dependent on spin but veteran Narine hasn’t been among wickets this season and their pace battery lacks guile.
The Kings have a better chance to reach the playoffs. With five wins in their bank and improving form of players, they can progress to the final stages of the tournament. With a win in this match, they can leapfrog a couple of teams and reach the top 5 in the points table. The return of captain Dhawan, Livingstone’s late arrival at the score board and they now have the skill to out-bat oppositions. Their local bowling talent in Brar, Chahar and Arshdeep Singh. has been impressive and can aid Curran and Ellis.
Eden Gardens Pitch Report
Eden Gardens Stadium has hosted 83 Indian Premier League matches so far. The pitch here is well-known to be batting-friendly and is among one of the highest scoring venues in India. Defending a total below 180 is virtually impossible on this surface.
This will the 5th match to be played here this season, in the first three matches the side batting first made 200 or more and CSK smashed 235 runs while batting first in the 3rd game and then went on to win the game. The fourth game also saw 180+ score in the first innings but the target was chased with ease.
The weather in Kolkata is expected to be hot and humid, with temperatures ranging between 29°- 39° Celsius during the afternoon. However, the temperature will cool down as the sun sets. Breezy thunderstorms are also common during the afternoon, as Norwesters occur frequently in this region at this time of the year.
Out of the 83 IPL matches played at Eden Gardens Stadium, the chasing team has won 48 times, while the team batting first has won 35 times. The average first-inning score at this venue is 163 runs, with the highest total ever recorded being 235 runs, smashed by Chennai Super Kings this season. Conversely, the lowest total ever recorded is 49 runs, scored by RCB in 2017.
Considering the pitch conditions and the record this year, it is expected that if either team wins the toss at Eden Gardens, they will opt to bowl first. Anything under 200 here can be challenging to defend, the side with the better bowling may have an edge due to the batter friendly conditions.
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