That was a dominating performance from Kolkata Knight Riders as they kept their playoff hopes alive with a massive victory over Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens.
Finn Allen and Angkrish Raghuvanshi completely headlined the batting effort, smashing 93 and 82 respectively in a stunning display of aggressive strokeplay. Cameron Green then arrived to provide the finishing touch with a solid half-century of his own, helping KKR post a massive total of 247.
With the ball, Kolkata may not have picked up a huge number of wickets, but they did an excellent job of controlling Gujarat’s batting lineup and preventing them from truly threatening the target. GT eventually finished on 218, as KKR sealed a commanding 30-run win in a high-scoring contest.
As for Gujarat Titans, this defeat will not hurt them too badly. They still remain comfortably placed near the top of the table in second position, backed by a very healthy net run rate.
As we move into yet another double-header Sunday in the IPL, we are set for two massive clashes involving four teams under serious pressure.
The day begins in Dharamshala, where Punjab Kings host Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial must-win encounter at 3:30 PM IST. Then, to close out the evening, Rajasthan Royals face Delhi Capitals in another high-stakes contest, with both teams desperately needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
With so much riding on both matches, we could be in for a dramatic day of IPL cricket. Let’s kick off the preview with the first game of the day.
Expected Playing 11:
PBKS:
- Priyansh Arya
- Prabhsimran Singh (WK)
- Cooper Connolly
- Shreyas Iyer (C)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Suryansh Shedge
- Shashank Singh
- Marco Jansen
- Xavier Bartlett
- Arshdeep Singh
- Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Player- Vyshak Vijaykumar
RCB:
- Virat Kohli
- Jacob Bethell
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Rajat Patidar (C)
- Jitesh Sharma (WK)
- Tim David
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Krunal Pandya
- Josh Hazlewood
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Suyash Sharma
Impact Player- Rasikh Dar
Head to Head:
| Matches- | 35 |
| PBKS Won- | 17 |
| RCB Won- | 18 |
| No Result- | 0 |
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
Dharamsala will be hosting its first day game of IPL 2026. And given all ten day games prior to this one have been won by the chasing side, there is a chance the toss will have a role to play in the result. Sunday is expected to be pleasant with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Celsius. The same pitch as the match against DC will be used for this game.
-ESPN CricInfo
Prediction:
Given the amount of pressure Punjab Kings are under right now, this is a game they simply cannot afford to lose. After a five-match losing streak, defeating RCB and getting revenge for the 2025 IPL final would be the perfect way for PBKS to turn their season around.
And the important thing to remember is that Punjab have not been playing bad cricket. Even in several of the matches they have lost, they have competed at a very high level. Their biggest issue has been failing to capitalise on key moments in crunch situations — small moments that have ultimately cost them games.
That is why we are backing PBKS to win this match and finally regain some momentum. However, counting out the defending champions would be a massive mistake. RCB seem to have rediscovered their rhythm after back-to-back defeats and are coming into this game with confidence after impressive wins over MI and KKR.
If you want to watch King Kohli light up Dharamshala tomorrow in arguably the most beautiful cricket stadium in India, then tune into JioHotstar at 3:30 PM IST.
Until next time!
Thank you.
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