Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to host Lucknow Super Giants at the iconic Eden Gardens in match No. 21 of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 on Tuesday, April 8. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be up against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match No.21 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Tuesday, April 8 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The match was originally scheduled to take place on April 6, but had to be rescheduled after Kolkata Police requested the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) regarding the deployment of personnel in the city due to Ram Navami celebrations.
The contest between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants offers a unique rivalry in the Indian Premier League – one between the fans of a football club [Mohun Bagan also owned by owners of LSG] and a cricket team. Last year, the franchise and the club expressed their displeasure over each other’s efforts to claim turf at the Eden Gardens. This year, it shouldn’t be any different.
KKR vs LSG : Previous Performances
The Knight Riders will be brimming with confidence after handing the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) their biggest defeat by 80 runs in Kolkata. After KKR slumped to a heavy defeat to the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, mentor Dwayne Bravo talked about applying the ‘smarts of the game’ rather than being reckless.
The defending champions have had a topsy-turvy start to their campaign under new captain Ajinkya Rahane. They have two wins and as many losses under their belt after playing four games. While they suffered crushing defeats, their victories have been one-sided. In the last match, the Knights got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 runs at home.
KKR played with loads of maturity against SRH, putting up a decent score of 200 for six. Despite losing both their openers in quick succession, they didn’t panic. Later, their bowlers stepped up to bowl the Orange Army out for 120 in 16.4 overs. From the bottom of the table, KKR moved to fifth in the table.
Lucknow also have two wins and two defeats from four matches so far in IPL 2025. They registered a thrilling 12-run win against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in their last game. Lucknow’s new skipper, Rishabh Pant, is under the pump after failing with the bat in all four games. He would want to bounce back strongly on Tuesday against the Knights.
The Super Giants, on the other hand, have had their fair share of ups and downs. But that they edged out MI in their previous match in Lucknow should keep them in good stead. In the batting department, Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh have been their gun players.
However, concerns remain over the form of their skipper Rishabh Pant, who has scored 19 runs from four games at an average of 4.75. In the bowling department, Shardul Thakur, who came in as a replacement for Mohsin Khan, has been their standout bowler with seven wickets. Leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi has also been impressive.
KKR vs LSG : Head to Head
The Knight Riders and Super Giants have played 5 matches since meeting for the first time in 2022. LSG are leading the head-to-head count 3-2. But it’s KKR, who won both their games in 2024. In Kolkata, both teams have won one match apiece.
| Matches Played | 05 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 02 |
| Won by Lucknow Super Giants | 03 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | May 7, 2022 |
| Most-recent Fixture | May 5, 2024 |
KKR vs LSG : Pitch and Weather Report
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Eden Gardens pitch. As per reports, the picturesque stadium has two different kinds of surfaces ready. One is a high-scoring pitch, which has been more common at the historic venue in recent years. On the other hand, the second surface will assist the spinners more.
In the last game, KKR scored 200/6 before dismissing the Sunrisers for 120. There was a decent amount of swing for the pacers upfront. The spinners were getting assistance, but it was by no means a rank turner. It will be important for the captains to read the pitch correctly before the match and make plans accordingly.
The average score in Kolkata in the IPL is 169 from 95 matches, with chasing teams winning 56 times. In day-night matches, the average score drops a little to 165 from 23 matches. Chasing teams have won 14 matches. Since the match will mostly be played under natural lights, spinners are likely to get a big advantage.
Dew may not play a big part and run-scoring may not be all that simple. This contest is being played on a new pitch, but there is barely any tinge on green on the surface. Shahbaz Ahmed, the Bengal all-rounder who is playing for LSG this season, believes there will be assistance for slower bowlers. Whether there is enough will be enough turn or not, he is expecting the ball to hold a bit on the surface
It was a sticky surface with patches lacking grass last time. Expect the same for the LSG fixture. Dew should not be a factor in the second innings although temperatures are expected to be around 33 degrees during start time, which could dictate the toss decision. There is no chance of rain for the time being in Kolkata. Temperatures will be around the 26-degree Celsius mark. There will be a cloud cover of 23, but they aren’t threatening. The humidity will be in the 90s. Wind gusts of around 19 km/h will be there.
KKR vs LSG : Big Picture : Pooran vs KKR spinners
Amidst chatter about the lack of crowd in one of India’s most iconic stadiums, this contest on Tuesday presents an opportunity to test the weight of this passionate rivalry. But beyond the question of who brings the fans to the stadium is a bigger question: which of the two teams, scratchy and middling so far this season, will pick momentum and put themselves among the table toppers.
Despite the inconsistent performances so far, both teams find themselves in a position to move to the top-four by the end of Tuesday’s contest. For that, they would need some of their most potent weapons to regain their prime touch, especially in the batting department.
Only Rishabh Pant and Ravi Bishnoi are yet to hit their stride, but otherwise, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are steadily assembling a winning formula in IPL 2025. Mitchell Marsh has notched up three fifties in four games, while Nicholas Pooran is the top run-getter of the season. When Pooran faltered against Mumbai Indians (MI) last Friday, Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, and David Miller stepped up. The Indian seamers have been impressive, and Digvesh Rathi is already a contender for the tournament’s emerging player.
For LSG, the concerns are bigger. Rishabh Pant, their captain, has struggled to find his touch. Pant, who aggregated 446 runs at 40.55 (SR: 155.40) with just one single-digit score last season, has scored only 19 runs at a strike-rate of 59.37 in three outings this season. And on a surface, where the ball is expected to hold on a bit, shot-making is not going to get any easier.
LSG are at the right juncture to take off but their ability to handle spin, especially under the hot afternoon sun at Eden Gardens, could define the outcome against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Since IPL 2024, Markram has fallen to spin five times in 12 innings; Marsh’s strike-rate plummets from 194 to 139 against spin and Pant averages just 15.4 against legspin.
Pooran is the exception. He has crossed 200 runs this season and has the best strike-rate (209) against spin since IPL 2024. But even he has struggled against Sunil Narine. That said, if Pooran and Miller can launch against KKR’s spin attack, it could swing the game.
While for KKR their biggest concern would be the lack of power-starts from their openers, which was a pivotal feature of their tournament-winning campaign last season, for LSG there are bigger concerns. Even as both Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock have one big innings to show, there is still more dependency than deliverance from them so far at the top.
KKR, too, seem to be clicking into gear, especially after their impressive showing against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh adapted well on a sticky pitch, which might be a recurring feature at Eden Gardens this season. Ajinkya Rahane and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi have offered consistency, but they’d want better starts from their openers and more time in the middle for Andre Russell.
Off the pitch, the clash also carries a unique flavour for Kolkata’s football faithful. The last few seasons have witnessed plenty of Mohun Bagan fans from Kolkata shift allegiances to LSG for one day; the two teams are owned by the same group headquartered in the city. Either way, despite having won their respective previous games rather convincingly, both teams have largely been rusty and far from gaining the momentum they would like. There are ample areas to fine-tune on before heading into the middle phase of the league stage.
If there is one place where they would want to accelerate find these perfect performances coming, it would be in front of their ‘home’ fans!
KKR vs LSG : In the spotlight: Ravi Bishnoi and Vaibhav Arora
Ravi Bishnoi’s effectiveness has dropped since IPL 2024. This season, it has worsened. He has the poorest economy of all spinners in IPL 2025 with only three wickets in four outings. Rathi is outshining him, and despite being one of three retained LSG players before the mega auction, Bishnoi could lose his place in the XII if his season does not turn around. The surface on Tuesday, though, could suit him.
Vaibhav Arora was called KKR’s powerplay specialist by Venkatesh after their win last game. Left-handed batters average only 9.60 against him, but against right-hand batters, like the openers he will encounter on Tuesday, he has been less effective. They score at a strike rate of 152.63 and average nearly 38 against Arora. Will he be able to turn it around
KKR vs LSG : Vital Stats that matters
- Only two times has a captain opted to bat at the toss this season. Both were in day games
- Since IPL 2023, the team batting first has won eight of the 17 games at Eden Gardens. The average first innings score has been 191 while the lowest total defended is 176 (excluding shortened games)
- In 19 balls across five innings, Russell has hit Thakur for 54 runs at a strike-rate of 284
- Pooran has scored only 25 runs in 33 balls against Narine in the IPL
- Six of the last seven afternoon games played at Eden Gardens have been won by the chasing side.
- KKR have the second worst average (15) and the second worst run rate (6.31) for the opening partnership in IPL this season. Only CSK have been worse than them on both parameters
- LSG have picked most wickets in the powerplay so far this season, whereas KKR have picked just five wickets -the joint second least by a team
KKR vs LSG : Team News for KKR and LSG
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Injuries/Unavailability: Anrich Nortje, who was ‘close to full fitness’ till the previous game, was seen bowling in full tilt ahead of the last game. However, no information has been provided on his availability for the game against LSG.
Tactics & Matchups: Sunil Narine has been one of the few spinners who has managed to keep Nicholas Pooran in check. The mystery spinner has conceded only 171 runs off 150 balls in T20s against the southpaw, which includes a maiden Super Over. Expect a fair bit of bowling by Narine while Pooran is in the middle.
Quinton de Kock smashed a 97* against Rajasthan Royals but he’s scored in single digits in the other three games. It remains to be seen whether KKR would consider Rahmanullah Gurbaz in place of him. Even though Moeen did not bowl against SRH, he could retain his spot in place of Spencer Johnson, based on pitch conditions.
KKR Predicted Playing XI : Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.
Impact Player:Â Vaibhav Arora
Lucknow Super Giants:
Injuries/Unavailability: Mayank Yadav is ruled out of the contest as he is still recovering from his injury. Mayank Yadav, who is bowling at “90-95% fitness” at the Centre for Excellence, is not yet available. They can use Markram as a third-spinner, but otherwise, left-arm spinners M Siddharth and Shahbaz Ahmed – who is also an allrounder – could be tempting options.
Tactics & Matchups: KKR have four left-handers in their top-six, which could push LSG to hand a greater role with the ball to Aiden Markram.
LSG Predicted Playing XI : Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi.
Impact Player : Ravi Bishnoi
KKR vs LSG Fantasy XI : Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran (C), Rishabh Pant, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine (vc), Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur
KKR vs LSG : Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran is the current Orange Cap holder in IPL 2025. He has amassed 201 runs from four innings at an average of 50.25 and a strike rate of 218.48. The West Indies wicketkeeper will enjoy batting at the Eden Gardens because of the fast outfield and relatively smaller boundaries. KKR bowlers would want to see the back of him before he gets himself set at the crease.
Probable Best Bowler: Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has picked up six wickets from four games at an average of 15.67 and a strike rate of 15. His economy rate of 6.27 is brilliant, especially in modern-day T20 cricket. Chakravarthy’s four overs will be crucial as he is a great wicket-taking option for KKR skipper Rahane.
KKR vs LSG : Match Prediction
Scenario 1
- Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and bowl
- PP Score – 60-70
- LSG – 200-210
- Kolkata Knight Riders win the match
Scenario 2
- Lucknow Super Giants win the toss and bowl
- PP score – 55-65
- KKR – 190-200
- Lucknow Super Giants win the match
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