Is Andre Russell Out? These 2 New Faces to Make Debut for KKR vs PBKS

Eden Gardens, Kolkata, is ready to host the KKR vs PBKS match on 26th April. The performance of the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, is not as good as their fans expect it to be. As yet, they have won just three games out of eight and placed 7th in the points table of IPL 2025. Moreover, they lost three games out of the last four. KKR has a big batting lineup, but most of their players are out of form.

According to KKR’s mentor, Dwayne Bravo, their team has a brilliant batting lineup, but they lost confidence, and they need a spark. But the big question is, who can provide that spark to the team so that the team regains its confidence? 

The first half of the IPL 2025 is over, and now Kolkata will have to reconsider their playing 11 and make some changes. In this list, a big name that comes to the fore is West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell, whose hard-hitting ability can give the team the confidence that it needs the most right now. But for this, to make changes in the team, they will have to remove any overseas player whose two names come forward: the first is Rahmanullah Gurbaz, while the second is Andre Russell.

Gurbaz has had a chance to play only one match in this IPL 2025, and he has been able to make a place in the team in place of De Kock. Whereas Andre Russell is an ‘X’ factor player whom Kolkata Knight Riders might not take the risk of dropping from the playing 11. Therefore, it seems that the team will select Rovman Powell to replace Gurbaz for the KKR vs PBKS match, giving Angkrish Raghuwanshi a chance to open the innings with Sunil Narine.

IPL 2025 Match Predictions

The second change Kolkata can make in the KKR vs PBKS match is by including wicketkeeper batter Luvnith Sisodia in the team. This left-handed batsman is capable of changing the momentum of the match by playing a quick innings in a difficult situation. Till now in the matches, Ramandeep Singh and Venkatesh Iyer have not been able to play very good innings, while KKR skipper is not using them in bowling either. Therefore, Luvnith Sisodia can get a place on the team in the match against Punjab in place of either of these two.

Probably Playing XI of KKR against Punjab Kings:-

Ajinkya Rahane ©, Angkrish Raghuwanshi, Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz/Roman Powell, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh/Luvnith Sisodia, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje/Spencer Johnson 

Impact Player:- Vaibhav Arora (if bat first)