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Ajinkya Rahane-led Kolkata Knight Riders are under considerable pressure heading into their third match of IPL 2026 as they face an in-form Punjab Kings at the iconic Eden Gardens on Monday, April 6. After two consecutive defeats, the three-time champions KKR are likely to make a couple of changes to their playing XI, while the Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS could stick with the same combination that has delivered them their second successive win.

KKR skipper Rahane has arguably grabbed the spotlight not only due to back-to-back losses but also his comments following the 65-run defeat to the SunRisers Hyderabad. With criticism coming his way, Rahane, known for his composure dropped it and lashed out at his critics. There have also been reports of rift in the KKR camp and it could severely dent their chances of making a comeback when the tournament reaches the business end. At the same time, the Knight Riders desperately need their big-ticket player Cameron Green to step up after a horror start to his stint.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings are flying high and have made an early bid to play yet another final with polished showings in the first two games. PBKS will still want to rectify their bowling and fielding shortcomings in the upcoming games after some lapses in the upcoming games. It’s highly unlikely they will make a change to their XI.

Will Kolkata Knight Riders drop Ajinkya Rahane as captain? Cameron Green out?

With only two matches in the tournament, it’s highly unlikely the Knight Riders will take as radical a decision to drop Rahane as captain. However, Kolkata may feel the need to have a fresh mind to lead their side and Rinku Singh is the next in line.

To maximise the powerplay, the Knight Riders could also promote Sunil Narine to open with Allen despite Rahane’s insistence on his strike rate being a good one. With Green unlikely to fit to bowl currently, will Kolkata prefer giving Rovman Powell a go?

Kolkata Knight Riders probable XI: Finn Allen, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green/Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.

Punjab Kings probable XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh.

The Knight Riders hold a much superior head-to-head record, winning 21 out of 35 games with one going as no result.