NEW DELHI: Looking to register their maiden victory of the IPL 2026 campaign, Kolkata Knight Riders chose to take on Punjab Kings in a Monday encounter at Eden Gardens, with Shreyas Iyer’s side setting the stage after winning the early moment. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bat first as the hosts chased their first win of the season.
KKR also confirmed two forced changes to their playing XI, with neither of their mystery-spin options—Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy—making the cut. Rahane explained that the pitch looked like it would play a little dry, while still offering a good surface for batting, and stressed the importance of converting small phases into match-defining moments.
"We are going to bat first. Looks like a good wicket, a little bit of the drier side, but it’s a very good wicket and slightly less covering of grass as well. It’s all about having that belief and confidence. It’s about winning those small moments. We are confident. Two changes, forced. Varun Chakaravarthy got injured taking the catch in the last game and Narine isn’t playing. Powell and Saini are in," Rahane said at the toss.
Punjab Kings, meanwhile, stuck with the same team that had been selected earlier, keeping their XI unchanged. Shreyas Iyer also reflected on the captaincy decision and the internal balance he believes helps the group, highlighting his connection with head coach Ricky Ponting from their Delhi Capitals days.
"I was supposed to bowl as well. So kind of happy with the decision he took. Our (Shreyas and Ponting) chemistry blossomed from our Delhi Capitals days. He gives freedom to all the youngsters and he is an inspiration himself. Same team for us," Iyer said.
Teams
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
Impact subs
- 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
