Published on: Apr 25, 2025 7:30 pm IST | Updated on: Apr 25, 2025 4:18 pm IST
The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata is all set to host match 44 of the Tata IPL 2025. The home team and reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, will welcome Punjab Kings to their home for what is expected to be a scintillating contest. Both teams are stuck somewhere in the middle of the table and would be looking to breach into the top 4 with a win here. In this post, we have come up with free expert tips for IPL 2025 match 44, KKR vs PBKS.
Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings have been searching for consistency. Besides being consistent, both KKR and PBKS have to overcome their middle-order woes. However, if we talk about win probability, we will give a slight advantage to the hosts, Kolkata Knight Riders, to win this fixture.
KKR: 52% win chance PBKS: 48% win chance
KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane is the man in form. The veteran batter has scored 4 fifties in as many games at this venue and has looked in solid touch. Therefore, Rahane is expected to score over 22.5 in this match.
Nehal Wadhera is the only ray of hope in Punjab's struggling middle-order. The left-hander has played some decent innings in the middle and has already scored a fifty this season. He is another good bet to score runs in this game.
KKR's opener hasn't been in the best of form but Narine is known to play risk-free at the top. He can be lethal for KKR, and scoring above 14.5 won't be a tough task for him.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer is also their leading run-getter of the tournament so far. Iyer has changed his approach this season and has looked to score runs at a brisk pace. He will take his chances at no. 3 and can score over 19.5 in this match.
Check out the IPL prediction for the KKR vs PBKS match.
The reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, haven’t been at their best with the bat this season. Their bowling unit has done a decent job, but the batters have been inconsistent right throughout the competition. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane has been leading from the front with the bat, as he is the leading run-getter for the team so far.
Rahane has been a strong pillar in the middle, but the top order hasn’t provided the starts the team required. Talking about the middle order, the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell haven’t been at their best and haven’t been a support system for Ajinkya Rahane. Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi is the only batter besides the skipper who has been among the runs. Therefore, to last long in the tournament, KKR’s batting needs to step up and show some resilience for a better show with the bat.
When the tournament started, Punjab Kings displayed immense prominence with the likes of Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, and Shashank Singh being at the top of their game. However, the batters started to feel the pressure as the tournament progressed, and all of a sudden, their batting went below par and is now under the scanner.
The Aussie trio of Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Inglis haven’t been at their best. Among these three, Glenn Maxwell is been completely awful and got dropped in the last two games. With the coaching staff also comprising Australians, this Aussie trio did get a long run. But for how long will they keep Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai out of the playing 11? This is a big question, and the answer to this question is the inclusion of Omarzai in the eleven in this game at the expense of either Marcus Stoinis or Josh Inglis.
Openers Priyans Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have shown intent in almost every game. However, they need to show some consistency at the top, as their middle order is struggling a lot. Talking about the bowling unit, they have done a decent job, and the brightest sign is the return in form of their star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. With Arshdeep Singh doing his thing along with a fairly decent job by Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett, the PBKS bowling unit looks formidable and ready to take on any challenge.
Matches Played: 34 KKR won: 21 PBKS won: 13 No Result: 0
Kolkata Knight Riders have had the upper hand against Punjab Kings over the years, winning 21 out of their 34 encounters, while PBKS have managed 13 victories. However, recent form favors Punjab Kings, as they’ve won all of the last three clashes between the two teams.
How the two teams, i.e., Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, expected to fare in IPL 2025 Match no. 44? Let’s take a look.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora IMPACT PLAYERS: Angkrish Raghuvanshi
PBKS Expected Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal IMPACT PLAYERS: Harpreet Brar
Eden Gardens is renowned for its batting-friendly surface. The pitch offers a flat track with true bounce, making it ideal for stroke play. In recent seasons, high-scoring matches have been common here. For instance, in IPL 2024, PBKS chased down a massive total of 262 against KKR at this venue. However, the pitch also provides assistance to spinners as the game progresses, thanks to its dry nature. Teams winning the toss often prefer to bowl first, considering the dew factor that can make bowling challenging in the second innings.
The weather in Kolkata on April 25 is expected to be hot and humid, with a high of 37°C and a low of 26°C. The skies will be sunny to partly cloudy, and there is no significant chance of rain, ensuring an uninterrupted match. However, the high humidity levels could lead to dew formation in the evening, potentially affecting the bowlers in the second innings.
Eden Gardens is one such ground where batting first or second doesn’t make a major difference. However, teams nowadays are more into chasing. Therefore, as per our IPL prediction, the team winning the toss will look to field first.
The online live streaming of the IPL 2025 Match-44 between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings will take place live on the JioHotstar App. TV viewers can watch the match across Star Sports Network.
As per the odds provided by the bookies, both teams have a 50-50 chance of winning this encounter. However, based on our analysis and cricket tips, we are backing the home team Kolkata Knight Riders to win this contest.