Match 21 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will see Punjab Kings (PBKS) take on bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on Monday, 26 April. PBKS are coming off on a nine-wicket win against Mumbai Indians, while KKR has not tasted victory in their last four attempts.
Team News
Punjab Kings may rope in another pacer, probably one of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, in place of Fabian Allen. Chris Jordan will be in the scheme of things as he knows the conditions better than any other, having featured in the India-England T20I series. On the batting front, they look settled. However, Nicholas Pooran’s form may be a matter of slight concern for them.
Kolkata Knight Riders have only one victory in five attempts. Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana have failed to provide them with a decent start, while Rahul Tripathi has blown hot and cold. Eoin Morgan has also struggled to get going in the middle overs, leaving too much to do for Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik. Lockie Ferguson might break into the starting lineup for the first time in IPL 2021.
Fantasy Picks
- Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami can be relied upon as two pacers in the team. Arshdeep Singh could be the third choice.
- Varun Chakravarthy boasts a great record against left-handed batsmen. With Nicholas Pooran and Chris Gayle in the PBKS line-up, it may be a good idea to pick him in your fantasy XI.
- Andre Russell is always a safe bet as he contributes with both the bat and ball.
Probable XIs
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson/Riley Meredith, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi
Fantasy XI
KL Rahul (vc), Nicholas Pooran, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell (c), Deepak Hooda, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi
