On Friday, the eighth match of the IPL 2022 will pit Kolkata Knight Riders against Punjab Kings. Kolkata Knight Riders batted poorly in their last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and as a result, they lost the match by three wickets in the final over. Bowlers have performed admirably in both matches and deserve greater recognition for their efforts. Shreyas Iyer made effective use of his bowlers, and it would be intriguing to see how he handles pressure in future encounters.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, were absolutely sensational in their debut match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, winning by five wickets with an over remaining in the contest. Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith’s ferocious striking ultimately won them the game. Without a doubt, they have batting depth and should focus more on their bowling.
The match is scheduled to take place on the 1st of April, 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match 8 – Pitch Report
There is enough of help available to bowlers, and it is difficult for batsmen to come in and immediately smash fours and sixes. Keeping wickets until the final over will win matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match 8 – Probable XI
Kolkata Knight Riders
Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Punjab Kings
Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk), Liam Livingstone, Raj Bawa, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match 8 – Players to Watch
Umesh Yadav
The experienced Indian seam bowler has been on absolute fire, as he is on the charge to grab one of the elusive spots on India’s World T20 side. In the two matches that he has played this season, Umesh has scalped 4 wickets and is currently in the fray for the purple cap award. He is currently the second highest wicket taker but a good wicket haul in this game will take him to the top of the purple cap competition standings.
Shreyas Iyer
The new skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders has not really got things going in this season and this game is a good platform for him to stretch his wings and get some runs on the board, for the team and for himself. He is currently nowhere close to winning the orange cap, btu a big innings today will bring him into the fray immediately.
Mayank Agarwal
The skipper of the Punjab Kings was in great touch in Punjab’s victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and in his second game in charge, he will be looking to go big and get straight into the hunt for the orange cap.
Odean Smith
Even though Odean Smith was expensive with the ball against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he made up for it with a match-winning innings of undefeated 25* runs off only 8 balls, which featured one four and three sixes, to secure the victory. He is a tremendous striker, and no terrain is too difficult for him to conquer.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match 8 – Fantasy Lineup No.1
Wicket Keeper – Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sheldon Jackson
Batters – Shikhar Dhawan (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Nitish Rana
All-Rounders – Andre Russell, Odean Smith
Bowlers – Umesh Yadav (vc), Rahul Chahar, Tim Southee
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match 8 – Fantasy Lineup No.2
Wicket Keeper – Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Batters – Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Shahrukh Khan
All-Rounders – Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Odean Smith
Bowlers – Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings Match 8 – Predicted Winner
Both the teams are in great form off late, but the Punjab Kings will have the incentive to push that little bit extra since they have a game in hand over the Kolkata side and a win here will keep them unbeaten in the league.
