PBKS vs KKR, IPL 2023: Toss result and playing 11s for today's match, umpires list and pitch report

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Saturday, April 1. This will be the first match of the double-header. Having disappointed last year, both teams will be keen to start on a positive note this time around.

Punjab will go in with a new skipper in veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, with Mayank Agarwal having been released after a poor season last year. Arguably the most underperforming side in the history of the IPL, it remains to be seen whether Dhawan can engineer a change in fortunes. With the likes of Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza coming in, they look a lot more robust on paper.

KKR suffered a setback even before the start of IPL 2023 as skipper Shreyas Iyer was ruled out for at least the initial matches due to a recurring back issue. Left-arm batter Nitish Rana, who has been with the Kolkata franchise for a few seasons, has been named as the stand-in captain. They will once again depend on tried and tested performers like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakaravarthy to deliver.

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Today's PBKS vs KKR toss result

The Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and opted to field first. Speaking about the decision, Nitish Rana said:

“It has been raining for the last couple of days, so there might be a bit of moisture.”

PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan said that he too would have fielded first had he won the toss.

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PBKS vs KKR - Today's match playing XIs

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh.

PBKS subs: Rishi Dhawan, Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh Bhatia and Mohit Rathee

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

KKR subs: Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, N Jagadeesan, Venkatesh Iyer and David Wiese

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Today's PBKS vs KKR pitch report

According to Darren Ganga, the pitch is light brown in color, which means there's not a lot of moisture. It's also very hard. There's a good covering of grass and it looks quite even. Down the ground is 77 meters. Spinners would want to capitalize on that.

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Today's PBKS vs KKR match players list

Punjab Kings Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh (w), Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Raj Bawa, Nathan Ellis, Baltej Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh.

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Venkatesh Iyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, N Jagadeesan, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Umesh Yadav, David Wiese, Mandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Kulwant Khejroliya, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma.

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PBKS vs KKR - Today's match umpires

On-field umpires: Bruce Oxenford, Yeshwant Barde

TV umpire: Jayaraman Madanagopal

Match Referee: Manu Nayyar