Indian T20 League 2023

KOL vs PUN, 53rd Match

Preview

The Hosts KOL will face off against PUN in the 53rd match of the IND T20 League on Monday. This match is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens between Nitish Rana-led Kolkata and Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab on May 08 at 07:30 PM IST. 2-time league winners KOL registered a win in its last match against HYD while defending 172 runs. With the courtesy of Varun Chakaravarthy's mystery bowling who delivered an epic win for Kolkata while ransoming 9 off 6 balls. 

On the other hand, PUN would be disappointed after posting a huge total of 214 on the sheet and still ending on the losing side against MUM in its last game. Ishan Kishan(75) and Surya Kumar(66) were the heroes for the 5-time league champions MUM in that match. Both the batters helped the Mumbai Paltans to pick their fifth win of the season in a high-scoring game.

The Hosts KOL will be eyeing to win this match to stay alive in the race to the playoffs. The 8th placed in the points table KOL has lost its last 3 consecutive matches at Eden Gardens. It hasn’t been a good home season for KOL but Nitish Rana's side won a couple of matches recently and will be hoping to carry the momentum in this virtual knockout match.

PUN is facing a big issue in their bowling department as the side fails to defend the target of over 200+ runs against Rohit Sharma-led MUM in Mohali. The 7th-placed Shikhar Dhawan-led side has a solid-looking bowling attack with the likes of Arshdeep, Rahul Chahar, and Sam Curran. Nevertheless, The Visitors have leaked runs very briskly in their recent outings and have failed to put the opposition under any sort of pressure.

KOL and PUN have faced each other in 31 matches in the IND T20 League. Out of these 31 matches, KOL has won 20 matches whereas PUN has won 11 matches.

Match Details

Match: KOL vs PUN, 53rd Match, IND T20 League 2023

Date: Monday, May 08, 2023

Time: 07:30 PM

Venue: Eden Garden, Kolkata

Pitch and Weather Report

This venue is a batting-friendly wicket with a bit of help on offer for the spinners in the later half of the innings. Once set, the batters can play their strokes and score big at Eden Gardens.

Though teams batting first have won 3 of the 4 matches at this track in the 16th edition of the IND T20 League, considering the bowling form of KOL and PUN, we reckon it is going to be an interesting match on Monday evening.

The average 1st innings score on this ground is 162 runs here at Eden Gardens. A match-winning total would be something over 180-185 given the seamers and spinners also deliver a decent performance while defending the total.

It is likely to be mostly sunny in Eden Gardens, Kolkata with a high of 39 degrees Celsius on the 53rd match day.

KOL vs PUN Squads

KOL: N Jagadeesan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma, Mandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Tim Southee, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lockie Ferguson, Aarya Desai, Jason Roy, Umesh Yadav, Vaibhav Arora

PUN: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Matt Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh

HYD vs KOL Probable Playing XIs

KOL: Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, T Natarajan

PUN: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Match Prediction

KOL and PUN are separated by just a win in the ongoing season of the IND T20 League. Both have plenty of issues to deal but KOL and PUN want this match to end on a winning note, taking a positive note towards the playoffs. Eden Gardens continues to offer good bounce and carry, it will be another high-scoring game. We anticipate the Hosts KOL to win this match.

Top Fantasy Picks

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan, despite playing in just 7 games so far in the IND T20 League this season, the left-handed batter has been the top run-scorer for Punjab. Dhawan has added 292 runs at an impressive average of 58.4 and a strike rate of 148.97. With the highest score of 99*.

Wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma has been an outstanding performer in the 16th edition of the IND T20 League. The 30-year-old right-handed batter has played a crucial role in many of PUN's victories this season. He has scored 239 runs in 10 matches at a blistering strike rate of 165.97 for his side.

English destructive opening batter Jason Roy has proven to be a valuable addition to the 2-time League winner KOL squad in the IND T20 League. He has been in outstanding form, collecting 180 runs in just 4 matches with a striking rate of 156.21. He scored 20 off 19 balls against HYD in the last match.

Varun Chakravarthy has been the most promising bowler for the side and has taken 14 wickets while bowling at an average of 20.85 and an economy rate of 8.15. He scalped 1/20 in the last match while successfully defending 9 runs against HYD.

Risky Captaincy Choice

Rinku Singh: Since smoking 5 match-winning sixes against Yash Dayal, the left-handed batter is in red-hot form for KOL this season. Rinku Singh scored 46 off 35 balls, smashing 4 fours and 1 maximum in his solid knock. He can play a big role for KOL in this match against PUN.

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