Kolkata Knight Riders v Punjab Kings: Prediction, Tips and Odds

It's fast approaching crunch time for reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who are on the outside looking in at the play-off berths.

KKR have won only three of their first eight games and must bridge a four-point gap to the top four in the second half of the regular season.

Punjab Kings are one of the sides the Knight Riders will have to overtake to make the play-offs and Kolkata also have a score to settle after being bowled out for 95 when the pair met only 11 days ago.

Kolkata Knight Riders v Punjab Kings betting tips and predictions

Punjab Kings to win - 10/11

Punjab Kings created a slice of IPL history when they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this month. 

The Kings must have been fearing the worst after posting a paltry 111 all out batting first at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, but their bowlers stepped up to the plate in spectacular style.

Despite losing both openers cheaply, KKR were still heavy favourites when Angkrish Raghuvanshi departed with the score on 72-4. But his dismissal sparked an almighty collapse from the Knight Riders, who lost their final six wickets for only 23 runs as Punjab set the record for the lowest total successfully defended in an IPL match.

The Kings have subsequently won and lost against Royal Challengers Bengaluru but they are fancied to regain the winning thread on Saturday.

Kolkata's three victories this year have come against the bottom three sides - Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings - and in a competition where the margins are invariably fine, they have been found lacking against the best sides.

Arshdeep Singh top Punjab wicket-taker - 9/4

Arshdeep Singh has been a reliable frontline bowler for the Punjab Kings this season and could cause KKR's faltering top order the most problems at Eden Gardens.

Singh has not quite got the wickets his bowling has deserved recently but batters are not getting much change out of the India international, whose 11 wickets have come at just shy of 23 runs apiece.

That's fine going given that he is bowling to some of the finest T20 batsmen on the planet and on wickets that tend to favour the batters.

The 26-year-old took two for 17 against England in his only T20 international at Eden Gardens in January and will have a big role to play for the Kings on Saturday.

Marco Jansen over 26.5 performance points - 5/6

South African star Marco Jansen looks to be going cheap in the player performance market at Eden Gardens.

The market awards 20 runs for every wicket, 10 per catch and 1 per run players make and Jansen's ability with both bat and ball make him really intriguing.

Jansen smashed 75 not out and took two wickets when South African crushed England at Eden Gardens in the Cricket World Cup in October 2023, so he should have fond memories of the iconic venue, and he will have passed a player performance line of 26.5 in six of his eight appearances for Punjab in the IPL this year.

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Kolkata Knight Riders v Punjab Kings odds

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.