Today Match Prediction for PBKS vs KOL Dream11:Two teams that are languishing at the bottom ends of the table will need to step it up here. It is still early days in the competition and still there is a lot to be played and said and done but it is evident that Kolkata is not in the best of their forms right now. Punjab did recover with an imperious win against the Mumbai Indians with 9 wickets still left in the tank. They need to use this as a springboard for better things in this season. Kolkata really need to find a way to win and the Ahmedabad stadium should actually support their style of play as it is a flat pitch

The five T20Is played between India and England recently will be the reference points for the teams to figure out their plans. Eoin Morgan will be better versed than most, having witnessed first hand how the different pitches on this square have behaved. The problem Morgan faced during England's 2-3 defeat against India was that the middle order wasn't up to the task. In contrast, it's the top order that has been a problem with KKR, as Morgan's blue-print of brave batting and coach Brendon McCullum's backing of flamboyance hasn't quite translated into results.

PBKS vs KOL Today Match Prediction Dream11 Team

Fixture: Match 21 . Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
When:26 April, 7 : 30 IST
Venue:Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad.
WATCH PBKS vs KOL VIVO IPL Live Match Score:Watch Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders live on Stars Sports Network and on Hotstar

What to expect:India's 3-2 T20I series win against England included a total as low as 124 and as high as 224, both posted by the hosts. There were three successful chases while 180-plus totals were defended twice, which might be what the teams will be aiming at, with dew also likely to be a factor. Also, Ahmedabad has pitches of both red and black soil variety, with the latter offering variable bounce. The kind of pitch being rolled out might influence the make up of the sides.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Punjab Kings Playing 11 (likely)

Punjab Kings Team News:

Tactics & Match-ups: Among the takeaways from the India-England series was that pace was a factor that helped England contain India initially in the series. Considering this, Punjab might think of bringing in Jhye Richardson or Riley Meredith for Fabian Allen, although both the Australian pacers were expensive at the start of this IPL. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh have been doing a good job for Punjab, with 12 wickets between them and an economy of 8 or less. Punjab, though, will be wary of the Shami-Russell match-up considering that their lead pacer has conceded 77 runs off 27 balls going up against the KKR allrounder - a batting strike rate of 285.19.

Punjab Kings Playing 11 (likely)

• KL Rahul (c/wk)
• Mayank Agarwal
• Chris Gayle
• Nicholas Pooran
• Deepak Hooda
• Moises Henriques
• Shahrukh Khan
• Jhye Richardson/Riley Meredith
• Ravi Bishnoi
• Mohammed Shami
• Arshdeep Singh

KL Rahul – He has been playing his natural game and it has been successful here. He has scored 220 runs already in the tournament and is the second highest run getter so far in the tournament He will be expected to continue his run here and play to his average of 55 and strike rate of 133.

Mayank Agarwal – He is usually the aggressor at the top of the order and is while he bats at a strike rate of 141, he still maintains an average of 26. He has scored 130 runs so far in the tournament.

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Kolkata Knight Riders 11 (likely)

Kolkata Knight Riders Team News::

While there may not be too many changes in the KKR lineup for this game, Morgan is big on match-ups and will be interested in using some of those for his team's benefit. Gayle has been dismissed five times by Harbhajan Singh, who has an economy of 6 against the left-hander. Will that mean a return to the eleven for the veteran spinner? Meanwhile, he might try to keep Russell off the attack when Gayle is around, given he's conceded 82 off 46 balls to the Jamiacan. Sunil Narine isn't the best bet against Rahul, with the Punjab captain having scored 82 off 44 off him. Harbhajan has dismissed Rahul thrice but concedes to him at an economy of 9.

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing 11

• Nitish Rana,
• Shubman Gill
• Rahul Tripathi,
• Eoin Morgan (c)
• Dinesh Karthik (wk)
• Sunil Narine
• Andre Russell
• Pat Cummins
• Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Shivam Mavi,
• Varun Chakravarthy,
• Prasidh Krishna

Nitish Rana –He has been scoring runs at the top of the order and his 186 runs so far are pretty important contributors in the tournament here. He has a strike rate of 123 which he would like to improve upon

Andre Russel – He looks like he is getting into the groove now with 7 wickets in the tournament and 102 runs which he has scored at a strike rate of 156.52 so far. He is their main weapon.

Did you know:

- Chris Gayle has the second-best average and the second-best strike rate among the top five run-getters against KKR, all of whom have scored 700 or more. Gayle's 54 sixes is also the most by a player against KKR.

- Shubman Gill has three half-centuries in five innings against Punjab, having scored 209 runs at an average of 104.50.

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Who will win today match: SRH vs DC Dream 11 Prediction

"We don't want to get too ahead of ourselves. Slowly we are coming together as a team. We are still a young team. Every year we keep bringing in newer guys. It's important to be patient. The guys we have backed and given opportunities are slowly coming through" - KL Rahul to Star Sports after the game against MI.

Dream11 Team Prediction

• Wicket-keepers:KL Rahul
• Batsmen: Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nitesh Rana, Rahul Tripathi
• All-rounders: Andre Russell, Deepak Hooda
• Bowlers:Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi

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