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Fans can expect several rain delays when the Punjab Kings (PBKS) lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Saturday, April 1.
Both teams finished in the second half of the points table last year and will look to come up with improved performances this year to make it to the playoffs.
Kolkata finished seventh last year, winning only six out of their 14 games. They made some key changes to their support staff, bringing in Chandrakant Pandit as the head coach following Brendon McCullum's departure at the end of last season. They also made several signings at the mini-auction in December last year.
However, they were dealt a massive blow ahead of the tournament, with skipper Shreyas Iyer ruled out of at least the first half of the season. Nitish Rana has been appointed as the captain of the side. KKR have a few weak links in their batting unit and if they can sort it out, Kolkata could pose some decent challenges this year.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, parted ways with last year's skipper Mayank Agarwal after enduring a poor campaign in IPL 2022. Senior batter Shikhar Dhawan has been handed the responsibility of leading the side this year.
PBKS also suffered a massive blow after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) denied NOC to Jonny Bairstow. However, all eyes will be on Sam Curran, who was re-purchased by the franchise for a whopping ₹18.5 crore in December. The young all-rounder has been in good form and will hope to translate the same for PBKS.
Mohali weather - Punjab Cricket Association weather report for April 1 - Rain predicted
The second match of IPL 2023 between PBKS and KKR might witness rain playing a spoilsport. According to accuweather.com, there is rain in the forecast throughout the day in Mohali. There is an almost 60 percent chance of precipitation, with significant cloud cover.
Temperatures, meanwhile, will be on the lower side, hovering around the 22-degree Celsius mark. Humidity will also be around 70 percent and players will have to keep themselves hydrated.
