Kolkata Knight Riders begin their IPL 2023 campaign against Punjab Kings – here is the KKR predicted XI for the match, along with tournament prediction, squad and schedule.

The Knight Riders have not qualified for the playoffs in three out of the last four years but made it to the final in 2021, where they were beaten by Chennai Super Kings. Last year, they finished seventh on the ten-team points table.

The 2023 season has begun on an ominous note, with skipper Shreyas Iyer ruled out for an indefinite period following a back injury. In his absence, Nitish Rana will lead the side. Focus will also be on how Chandrakant Pandit, a celebrated coach in Indian domestic cricket, helms the team through the tricky phase.

KKR in IPL 2023: Team news

For their first week (or longer), KKR are likely to be without the services of overseas players Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, both of whom are currently on international assignments. It has given a depleted look to the side ahead of their first fixture, and KKR will bank on the retained core of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer and Tim Southee, among others, to pull them through.

There were reports that Lockie Ferguson had injured his hamstring, and might be a doubtful starter. However, he has joined the squad ahead of their first game.

Kolkata Knight Riders at IPL 2023: Full KKR squad

Overseas player underlined.

Nitish Rana (c), Vaibhav Arora, Lockie Ferguson, Harshit Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, N Jagadeesan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Rinku Singh, Tim Southee, Suyash Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, David Wiese, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer (subject to fitness)

KKR in IPL 2023: Full schedule

KKR begin their campaign against PBKS on April 1, 2023, at the PCA Stadium, Mohali.

Here’s their complete schedule for the tournament.

KKR probable XI v PBKS: Predicted team for the first game

N Jagadeesan (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders: IPL 2023 prediction

The KKR squad does look a bit depleted on paper compared to other lineups. There is a sense of unpredictability under a new captain and coach, as well as the form of their senior overseas players. If things do not pick up in the latter part of the season, they might just end up in the bottom half of the table.

Kolkata Knight Riders are 11/1 to win IPL 2023 with our Match Centre partners bet365. To bet on the outright market of the competition head here.