Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look for another win tonight against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Eden Gardens to bolster their playoff chances.
With five wins in seven matches, KKR are currently second in the points table and look destined for the playoffs. PBKS, on the other hand, has struggled this season and their playoff chances hang in the balance. The Punjab team is currently at ninth place in the points table with only two wins in eight matches.
And while KKR will be looking for another win tonight, they will have to do it with their quick Mitchell Starc. The left-arm spinner was not available for the match, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed at the toss. Sri Lanka pacer Dushmantha Chameera replaced Mitchell Starc in KKR playing eleven for the match against PBKS.
Iyer revealed that Starc missed out due to a cut finger he sustained while bowling in the last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Starc’s injury has given Chameera the opportunity to play his first game for KKR this season. Chameera was signed by KKR as Gus Atkinson’s replacement before the start of the season. In the last IPL season, she had plied her trade for Lucknow Super Giants.
“We’ve had different players coming forward at different times, that’s what pleases me this season. Starcy cut his finger in the last game, Dushmantha Chameera replaces him. I need a great start and then turn it into a great result, hoping continue in the same form and momentum,” Iyer said.
Mitchell Starc in IPL 2024:
Mitchell Starc has struggled to make an impact in the current season and has so far failed to justify his huge price tag. Not only has he struggled to get wickets, but he has also failed to maintain a good economy rate. In seven games, he picked up six wickets while maintaining an economy rate of 11.48.
Meanwhile, PBKS won the toss and opted to play KKR first.
Playing XI:
KKR:
Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Dushmantha Chameera, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana
PBKS:
Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran (c), Rilee Rossouw, Jitesh Sharma (w), Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh