IPL 2026, KKR vs PBKS Today Match: Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bat against Punjab Kings in Match 12 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, April 6, 2026.
IPL 2026, KKR vs PBKS – Live Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Follow Here
Captain Ajinkya Rahane said the pitch looked “a very good wicket” with minimal grass cover and stressed the importance of confidence and winning key moments. KKR made two forced changes, with Varun Chakravarthy ruled out due to injury and Sunil Narine unavailable because of illness. Rovman Powell and Navdeep Saini were included in the playing XI.
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer backed the decision at the toss, saying he was comfortable either way and confirmed that his side remains unchanged.
Kolkata head into the contest under pressure after losing both their opening matches — a six-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians followed by a 65-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Led by Ajinkya Rahane, the side is yet to register a win this season.
Punjab Kings, captained by Shreyas Iyer, have made a strong start, winning both their games so far. They edged past Gujarat Titans by three wickets in their opener and followed it up with a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.
Playing XI:
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
IPL 2026 KKR vs PBKS Live Score Updates: Follow Here
Impact Substitutes:
Punjab Kings Impact subs: Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey, Harpreet Brar
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact subs: Blessing Muzarabani, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Saurabh Dubey
Pitch Report
The Eden Gardens pitch is expected to offer good batting conditions despite the presence of rain clouds and covers around the outfield ahead of the IPL 2026 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings.
The surface has a healthy covering of live green grass across most areas, suggesting consistent pace and bounce for stroke play. While a few bare patches are visible just inside the crease lines, they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the game as they are located on the front foot area.
Overall, the conditions indicate a batting-friendly wicket, with minimal assistance for bowlers, although teams may factor in the weather while planning their approach.
