After playing back-to-back home games, we head to the iconic Eden Gardens for an away contest against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. The afternoon fixture begins at 3:30 PM IST.

Heading into the blockbuster clash, only the net run rate separates the two sides on the IPL points table. We have won three, lost two and are fourth on the leaderboard. Knights, meanwhile, are second on the table with three wins and one loss. 

While KKR will have the home advantage, we will have the psychological edge, having never lost against the two-time champions in three meetings. Our boys will look to keep the record intact on Sunday. And we will also be sporting the Mohun Bagan Super Giant-inspired jersey against KKR to honour the legacy of one of India's oldest football clubs.

Despite the loss against DC in our previous match, we have plenty of positives to take into the encounter against KKR. 

Skipper KL Rahul looked in fine touch in the powerplay against DC and along with Quinton de Kock, will look to come good once again. KL Rahul’s record in the afternoon games also stands out. He averages 63.2 in the afternoon matches in the IPL – the best for any batter who has played at least 20 innings.

Our in-form batters Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis missed out on big scores in the last game but expect them to light up Eden Gardens with the fireworks on Sunday. 

Young sensation Ayush Badoni is another to watch out for. Badoni played a superb knock of 55 runs off 35 balls in his previous outing and will look to carry forward the momentum. 

Our bowling line-up remains formidable with Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi and Naveen-ul-Haq consistently delivering and Krunal Pandya eager to make a strong comeback.

News from KKR camp

Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have been instrumental in getting KKR off to a good start this season but both were shackled by CSK in the previous match.

Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer and Ramandeep Singh have not fired in unison but teenager Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored a 50 on debut against DC, has been impressive this season. Mitchell Starc has not fired with the ball so far. While he looks due for a big performance, our batting line-up possesses the remedy to ensure it doesn’t arrive on Sunday.

KKR vs LSG history

We have faced KKR three times in the previous two seasons. Apart from our perfect win record against KKR, we also have pulled off some memorable performances against the two-time champions. 

In our first meeting, Quinton de Kock’s half-century powered us to 176/7 before we folded KKR for 101 inside 15 overs. The margin of 75-run victory remains our biggest in the IPL. 

We batted first in the reverse fixture as well, Riding on QDK’s 140 and KL Rahul’s 68, we posted 210/0 in 20 overs. It is the highest opening stand in IPL history. It was also the first time in the IPL that a team batted first and went through 20 overs without losing a wicket. However, we won the match by a margin of only two runs.

Last season, Pooran’s 58 helped us reach 176/8 before Ravi Bishnoi’s 2/23 and Yash Thakur’s 2/31 helped us pull off a one-run victory. 

Stats that matter

  • Krunal Pandya is six catches away from 50 catches in IPL.
  • Quinton de Kock is one stumping away from 50 stumpings in T20s.
  • Deepak Hooda is one catch away from 100 catches in T20s.
  • Nicholas Pooran is six sixes away from 100 sixes in India in T20s.
  • Ravi Bishnoi is three wickets away from 100 wickets in India in T20s.
  • KL Rahul is two sixes away from 300 sixes in T20s.
  • Quinton de Kock is 34 runs away from 3000 runs in India in T20s.
  • KL Rahul is 99 runs away from 5000 runs in India in T20s.

How to watch KKR vs LSG live

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Match start time: April 14, 3:30 PM IST

Streaming: Jio Cinema

TV channel: Star Sports Network