Punjab Kings (PBKS) will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 44th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the upcoming match. Punjab Kings will aim to bounce back after their recent defeat to RCB, with the team currently holding the fifth position on the points table. Meanwhile, KKR, coming off back-to-back losses against PBKS and GT, have slipped to seventh place. KKR vs PBKS Match 44: Match Details Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings, Match 44, IPL 2025 Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 Time: 7:30 PM IST Venue: The Eden Gardens, Kolkata Live Streaming: Star Sports Network & JioCinema Also Read | IPL 2025: Ashwin's YouTube channel not to cover remaining CSK games KKR vs PBKS Head-to-Head Stats (H2H) in IPL KKR vs PBKS Head-to-Head Stats Total Matches 34 Won by Kolkata Knight Riders 21 Won by Punjab Kings 13 Tied/NR 0 Last 5 Matches Result KKR: 2, PBKS: 3 PBKS have held the upper hand against KKR in recent meetings, winning three of their last five games. In their last encounter, PBKS defeated KKR by 16 runs. The home side defended 111 runs against KKR in their last outing. KKR vs PBKS: Team Preview for Match 44 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) KKR have had an up-and-down campaign so far, with just three wins from eight matches. They now need a standout performance to stay in the playoff race. Ajinkya Rahane has been the lone bright spot in a misfiring batting lineup, while the bowling unit has held its own, led by the mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Venkatesh Iyer, who is yet to fire big, and Ajinkya Rahane will hold the key in the batting department, while Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana are expected to lead the bowling department. Key Players of KKR: Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy Punjab Kings (PBKS) PBKS are enjoying a strong season so far, with five wins from eight games. Their bowling attack has been impressive, largely due to Yuzvendra Chahal’s consistency. Chahal has claimed 11 wickets in his last nine T20 matches and will once again be crucial to PBKS's plans. With the bat, the team will look to Shreyas Iyer, Priyansh Arya, and Prabhsimran Singh to deliver a competitive total. Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh will be key players to watch in this fixture. Key PBKS Players: Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh Also Read | Ishant Sharma slapped with heavy fine after SRH vs GT Probable Playing XI for KKR vs PBKS Match 44 KKR Expected XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy Impact Subs: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia PBKS Expected XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis,, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal Impact Subs: Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Pravin Dubey, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge Pitch & Weather Report for KKR vs PBKS Match 44 Pitch Report The Eden Gardens pitch has been a batting beauty this season with plenty of runs on offer, but spinners can still get some grip as the game goes on. Weather Report Kolkata weather looks good for the game, with no rain expected. It'll be warm and humid, around 30-32°C during match time. Dew could play a role later in the evening. Conclusion Punjab Kings will head into this contest as the favourites, thanks to their strong form in the tournament so far. They are likely to bounce back to winning ways after their loss to RCB here. KKR need something special from their batters to put up a show against Punjab Kings. In their last meeting, they couldn't chase down 111.