Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2023 IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders take on Punjab Kings in the 2023 Indian Premier League.
The match is scheduled to start at 7.30pm local time (3pm BST) on Monday, May 8.
The match will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The stakes couldn't be higher for two teams firmly within must-win territory. Sitting seventh and eighth in the table both can still make the playoffs with a series of victories, but they have been marred by inconsistent performances as they both struggle for form heading into this fixture.
Kolkata Knight Riders have only won two of their last five, but will take heart from securing a narrow victory over bottom of the league Sunrisers Hyderabad last time out. Punjab Kings, meanwhile boast the same record in their last five fixtures, but a loss in their last match at the hands of Mumbai Indians leaves them without the momentum of their opposition.
Neither KKR nor Punjab Kings have any fresh injury concerns.
Eyes will once more be on Varun Chakravarthy to deliver the goods for KKR after his economical death bowling saw them over the line against Sunrisers Hyderabad; he had decisive figures of 1 for 12 in overs 16, 18 and 20. Should Punjab Kings be able to negate the likes of Chakravarthy, they will back themselves to reach or chase a total large enough for victory.
A return to form for Rahmanullah Gurbaz would also be welcomed after the KKR opener's first-baller versus Sunrisers.
The blame for a concerning six-wicket loss to Mumbai Inians in their last fixture can be placed squarely at the feet of the Kings' bowling lineup. The batting finally reached something of its full potential, punctuated by Liam Livingstone's electrifying 42-ball 82. Their bowlers, however, must prove more potent if they are to succeed against KKR; another lacklustre performance in taking just four wickets across the innings is unlikely to prove enough to see them over the line against a handy KKR batting line-up.
Matches played: 31
Kolkata Knight Riders wins: 20
Punjab Kings wins: 11
A slight chance of rain in Kolkata ahead of play, but things should have dried up for the start. Temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (injured), Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N Jadadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Shakib Al Hasan (unavailable), Jason Roy (replacement signing), Johnson Charles (replacement signing)
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow (injured, replaced by Matt Short), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa (injured, replaced by Gurnoor Singh Brar), 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
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Matt Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis
The bookies are struggling to split these two, with a best price of 19/20 available for each in places.
In a must-win situation, momentum is key. Their improbable victory in the last fixture should see KKR have the confidence to overcome Punjab Kings in this one.
In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.
Fans in India can watch all the action on Star Sports.
Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.
Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.
Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.
If you are watching from the Middle East, you'll be able to view the game on Times Internet.
People from Bangladesh can watch the game on Gazi TV.
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