Middle-order misfires in spotlight as Punjab Kings take on Knight Riders

When Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns in Saturday’s IPL 2025 showdown at Eden Gardens, one glaring similarity will unite them, their fragile and inconsistent middle orders. As the tournament enters a critical phase, both teams find themselves grappling with underwhelming performances from batters positioned between No. 4 and No. 7.

Across their eight matches so far, both sides have struggled to generate meaningful contributions from the middle. KKR’s middle-order batters collectively average 20.47 runs, while PBKS fares slightly better at 23.90, figures that highlight the deep-seated concerns both camps must urgently address.

For Kolkata, young Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been a rare bright spark, accumulating 197 runs from seven innings at a brisk strike rate of 149.24 and an impressive average of 39.40, with a top score of 50. However, support from his peers has been sporadic. Venkatesh Iyer has mustered only 135 runs in eight matches, striking at 139.17 and averaging 22.50, despite a lone half-century.

Meanwhile, Rinku Singh has displayed flashes of brilliance, scoring 133 runs at a healthy strike rate of 146.15 and an average of 33.25. However, the contributions from Ramandeep Singh and Andre Russell have been underwhelming. Ramandeep has managed just 30 runs across five innings at a strike rate of 115.38, while Russell, a key figure for KKR, has struggled significantly, tallying only 55 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 119.56 and an average of 9.16.

Punjab Kings face a similar narrative. Nehal Wadhera has been a consistent performer, amassing 189 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 146.51 and an average of 37.80, with a top score of 62. Shashank Singh has also chipped in with 158 runs at a strike rate of 128.45 across eight games. Yet, the form of seasoned internationals like Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell remains a major concern. Stoinis has managed just 67 runs at a strong strike rate of 152.27 but a modest average of 16.75. Maxwell, far from his explosive best, has scraped together only 41 runs at a strike rate of 100, averaging a mere 8.20. Josh Inglis has also disappointed, with 45 runs from three appearances.

In the standings, Punjab sits relatively comfortably in fifth place with five wins from eight outings. Kolkata, however, languishes at seventh, having secured just three victories. With only six matches remaining, KKR must clinch at least five wins to stay in contention for a playoff berth, while PBKS requires just three more wins to likely secure a top-four spot.

KKR vs PBKS, IPL 2025: Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Chetan Sakariya, Mayank Markande.

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Harnoor Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash

(With ANI inputs)