🏏IPL 2025, Match 31:Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7:30 PM

🏏IPL 2025 - Match 31: Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 7:30 PM IST🏏

PBKS will take on KKR in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League 2025. This match will be played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. 74 matches will be played across 13 cities over the next two months as the IPL fever kicks off. Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will be played in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21, respectively. Qualifier 2, on May 23, and the final on May 25, will be in Kolkata.

Punjab Kings are sixth in the points table with three wins and two losses in five matches. They lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous match despite scoring 245 runs and will be keen to bounce back. They will be playing at home and look to take advantage of these conditions.

On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings in the previous match and are fifth in the points table with three wins and as many losses in six matches. This promises to be a closely fought game between these two sides.

There is every reason to believe that Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings look more threatening as sides in IPL 2025 than what their respective mid-table positions represent at the moment. As the league phase marches towards mid-season, a victory for either of them on Tuesday would put them among those at the top of the table.

[Tag and Logo credit to Wildestdreams]

The win-loss ratio is enough of an explainer that the campaign has started on an inconsistent note for both teams.

Optimistically, though, both KKR and PBKS have most of their personnel firing already. Collectively, they have come good at times, and threatening to do it more frequently as the season progresses.

The top half of the table though, much like KKR and PBKS, is brimming with such teams getting their acts right. To be among them would not only be about securing wins in such contests, but also differentiating each other on the Net Run Rate. The margins are thin, yet significant.

PBKS are still fresh from the smashing they received in Hyderabad, unable to defend a mighty total of 245. The surface at their new home ground in Mullanpur isn't going to be any kinder for the bowlers either. KKR do have some concerns in their batting department, but Punjab's home ground is not where they would like to host the misfiring Andre Russell too well. And with an injured Lockie Ferguson set to be ruled out for the rest of the tournament, PBKS have a big concern when it comes to their fast bowling.

Shreyas Iyer, the captain of PBKS, would know a trick or two about his former team, coach and teammates. It would be interesting to see if he's able to press it to his advantage.

Probable Playing XI

Team Watch:

Punjab Kings:

Injury/Unavailability: Ferguson pulled his hamstring in the first over of his spell against SRH and left the field and he's unlikely to be back in the PBKS setup this season, according to fast bowling coach James Hopes. "We're obviously going to have to change our team up a bit with Ferguson not being able to play. Ferguson is out indefinitely, and us getting him back by the end of the tournament is a very low percentage. I think he's done a real decent injury to himself."

Tactics & Matchups: Shreyas Iyer has scored 456 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.45 with a strike rate of 150-plus against KKR. The PBKS skipper will have a key role to play against the likes of Sunil Narine and Varun CV. Although he has struggled for rhythm so far in this IPL, Yuzvendra Chahal has a good record against KKR (29 wickets in 22 matches at an average of 22.65) and PBKS will be hoping he comes to the party.

Probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vyshak Vijaykumar

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Injuries/Unavailability: The availability of Anrich Nortje, who is yet to play a game this season, remains unknown. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali, who featured in the Chennai game, might make way for Spencer Johnson if KKR opt for an extra pace option.

Tactics & Matchups: Although KKR have used Russell sparingly with the ball this season, they might unleash him against PBKS considering his good record against Iyer and Stoinis. Iyer has been dismissed by Russell 5 times in 9 innings while Stoinis has gotten out to the West Indian thrice in 5 innings.

Probable XII: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson/Moeen Ali, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora

Lockie Ferguson was injured in the last game and might miss this match.

The pitch at the venue for this game promises to be a batting-friendly surface, so it will be interesting to see how both teams play in the upcoming match. Also, it can be a high-scoring match, so the chaser should be ready to chase down anything above the 200-run mark.

What to expect: In three out of four innings played at the venue, teams have managed to score 200-plus totals. It's uncertain if dew will play a part, but the playing conditions should be fairly comfortable for the batters.

Head to Head: While KKR lead the overall head-to-head against Punjab Kings 21-12 in the IPL, the contests have been evenly balanced in recent years, with both teams winning four matches each since 2020.

Did you know?

KKR's spinners have the best average (20.62) and the best economy (6.73) among all teams in this IPL. PBKS' spinners, on the other hand, have the highest average (54.4), highest economy (10.46) and the highest strike rate (31.2)

Since 2024, Glenn Maxwell has scored only 86 runs in 13 innings in the IPL, averaging 6.61 with five ducks and a highest of 30

Sunil Narine has picked up 34 wickets in 25 matches against PBKS, at an average of 20.02 and an economy of 7.02. He has also scored 251 runs against them with two half-centuries

What they said:

"We have a lot of players in our middle order that are very good players of spin. So that becomes the match-up that we have to win tomorrow night. And with our bowling attack, we need to get Yuzi [Yuzvendra Chahal] into the game more than we're doing. He's just struggling to get into the game at the moment. Against Chennai, just bowling the one over, a very good over at a very important time. He bowled a very good over, but it's just getting him into the tournament. We're five games in and for us to win the IPL, we're going to need him" - James Hopes, PBKS fast bowling coach.

The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh, is a batting paradise, and high-scoring matches are always on the cards. Both teams have a solid batting line-up, which will help them score runs in the game. The pitch might not favour the bowlers more, so the captain who wins the toss should look to bat first, as chasing would be easy.

PBKS vs KKR Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas-Iyer. (Photo Source: IPL)

Shreyas Iyer has been in terrific form in the ongoing IPL. He has scored in almost all the games and has helped the team win games. As a captain, he is an asset to the team. Iyer can surely be the best batter of the match because he will play against his former team, KKR.

Probable Best Bowler: Sunil Narine

KKR's Sunil Narine is in great form and has a high chance of being the best bowler of the match. His performance in the previous match was a key takeaway for KKR. The player knows how to play mind games with the batters as well, which has helped him in his career. So, it will be interesting to see the bowler against PBKS.

After a series of tightly contested matches, the Punjab Kings return to their home turf, aiming to regain momentum as they face the Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 31 of IPL 2025. The clash is set to take place at the newly built PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, where the Kings will be eager to deliver a strong performance in front of their home supporters. Both teams have displayed solid form throughout the tournament, setting the stage for a competitive and entertaining showdown. With plenty at stake, fans can look forward to an exciting encounter between two determined sides.

The upcoming match will be held at PBKS’s home venue, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Known for its batting-friendly nature, the pitch typically offers good support to fast bowlers as well, making it a balanced surface for both departments.

The conditions often encourage aggressive stroke play, which leads to high-scoring contests. In fact, the average run rate at this venue in the IPL stands at an impressive 8.84, indicating the potential for another thrilling, high-tempo encounter. Teams will look to make the most of the surface, especially during the powerplay and death overs.

VENUE – NEW PCA STADIUM, MULLANPUR (IN T20s SINCE 2023)

• Matches - 16, Bat 1st Won – 11, Bat 2nd Won – 5

• Avg 1st Inns score – 176/6 (Run Rate – 8.8)

• Lowest Total Defended – 161, Highest Target Chased – 175

• 200+ Totals (excl. shortened matches): 4 times in 15 matches | Sixes Per Match - 14

• Pace: Overs% - 63, Wkts – 148, Avg – 22.5, Eco – 8.8

Spin: Overs% - 37, Wkts – 55, Avg – 32.8, Eco – 8

• Winning Score at New PCA Stadium, Mullanpur (in T20s since 2023)

◦ 1st Inns score 170 or above: Mts – 11, Bat 1st Won – 10, Bat 2nd Won – 1

◦ 1st Inns score less than 170*: Mts – 5, Bat 1st Won – 1, Bat 2nd Won – 4

* Excluding Shortened Matches

• Overall team record:

◦ PBKS: Mts – 7, Won – 2, Lost – 5 (Win % - 29)