Punjab Kings Predicted XI vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2023: Which Pair Will Open The Innings For PBKS?

01.04.2023 - 03:39 sports.ndtv.com

Under the leadership of new captain Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab Kings are all set to begin their campaign for the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.

Led by the veteran opening batter Dhawan, the Kings will be guided by World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss, as they eye their maiden IPL title.

PBKS will also keep high hopes from England all-rounder Sam Curran, who became the costliest buy with a sum of Rs 18.50 crore at IPL auctions 2023.

The team will miss the service of star pacer Kagiso Rabada in the first game as he is on national duty. In his absence, Arshdeep Singh will have more responsibilities on his shoulders.

cricket Kolkata Knight Riders Trevor Bayliss Shikhar Dhawan Punjab Kings Nathan Ellis Sam Curran India county Ellis Kolkata

Punjab Kings went into the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow for a Saturday evening contest with the Lucknow Super Giants and walked out with a 2-wicket win in a close contest. The Super Giants were led by KL Rahul, who scored 74 runs (56b, 8x4, 1x6) to help them set a target of 160 runs. Sam Curran, who was leading the Kings in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, was the pick of the bowlers and picked up three wickets. The Kings chased this down with 3 deliveries to spare, catapulted to the win by Sikander Raza's first IPL half-century (57, 41b, 4x4, 3x6) and a fiery unbeaten 23 off 10 balls by Shahrukh Khan.

IPL 2023: Big Blow For Punjab Kings As Shikhar Dhawan Misses Game vs Lucknow Super Giants - Here's Why

Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of Punjab Kings' Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 encounter against Lucknow Super Giants due to injury on Saturday. The PBKS skipper suffered a niggle during the last match against Gujarat Titans and he was replaced by Sam Curran as the captain. PBKS is at the sixth position in the points table with a total of four points and two wins and two losses in four matches. LSG is at the second position with six points, three wins and a loss in four matches. Atharva Taide makes his IPL debut with PBKS. Curran won the toss and opted to field at the Ekana Stadium.

IPL 2023: Shubman Gill Puts 'Love Story' Tag On Rahul Tewatia, Punjab Kings Affair

Gujarat Titans sealed a 6-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 encounter on Thursday. Chasing the target of 154 runs, it was Shubman Gill who laid the foundation at the top with a score of 64 runs off 49 balls before David Miller and Rahul Tewatia finished off the chase for their side. The winning runs were scored by none other than Tewatia, the man who loves to score runs in nail-biting contests against Punjab.

Watch: Preity Zinta Gives Punjab Kings Jerseys To Fans. Bollywood Star's Gesture Goes Viral

Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta was in attendance for her side's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Gujarat Titans at the IS Bindra International Stadium in Mohali on Thursday. Despite PBKS suffering a narrow defeat, the Bollywood actress didn't lose her spirit as she went on to greet players from both teams after the match. In a video shared on social media, Zinta was even seen giving jerseys to fans after the conclusion of the match. The video of her gesture has gone viral on social media.

IPL 2023: Mohit Sharma, Shubman Gill Shine As Gujarat Titans Beat Punjab Kings By Six Wickets

Gujarat Titans roared back to winning ways with a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings after Mohit Sharma's excellent return to the IPL and Shubman Gill's 49-ball 67 on Thursday. Medium pacer Mohit marked his comeback with figures of 2/18 as holders GT restricted PBKS to 153 for eight. Playing in his first game in the league since 2020, Mohit was exceptional in the penultimate over, giving away as little as six runs. When their turn to bat came, Gill led the way with his fine half-century as GT completed the chase of 154 in 19.5 overs, four days after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. Having done duty as the team's net bowler last season, Mohit, who has also played for the Indian team including in the World Cup, mixed his pace and varied his lengths well throughout his spell.

Yash Dayal, Who Was Hit For 5 Sixes By Rinku Singh, Dropped From Gujarat Titans' IPL 2023 Game Against Punjab Kings

Yash Dayal was dropped from the Gujarat Titans playing XI for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 encounter against Punjab Kings in Mohali on Thursday. The young pacer had a horrible outing in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders as Rinku Singh slammed him for five sixes in the final over to guide his team to victory. Dayal was replaced by Mohit Sharma who made his debut for the franchise. Skipper Hardik Pandya also made his return to the squad in place of Vijay Shankar.