IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra picks his ideal playing XIs for KKR vs PBKS match

Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings will lock horns with each other in the 45th match of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). And, ahead of this contest, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has picked his predicted playing XIs for both sides for this match.

Chopra stated that he feels for the Punjab side after the departure of Chris Gayle, as they do not have many options in the batting department. Chopra stated that if Mayank Agarwal is fit, he should return to open the batting at the top of the order, and the rest of the lineup will remain the same.

The 43-year-old also stated that Punjab Kings (PBKS) has a number of overseas players like Chris Jordan, Fabian Allen, and Adil Rashid waiting in the wings, but the KL Rahul-led side is running short of batsmen. Chopra also added that Punjab Kings can go in with 3 overseas players if Mayank Agarwal is fit for the match.

Aakash Chopra picks his ideal KKR playing XI for the match against PBKS

Aakash Chopra stated that he is ‘bullish’ about Kolkata’s chances against the Punjab side, as the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, and Rahul Tripathi are firing with the willow.

Chopra stated that KKR should make a couple of changes to their side for their clash against PBKS. He reckons that Prasidh Krishna can come into the side and take the place of Tim Southee. And, the other change that Chopra feels that the KKR side should make is, he wants Shakib Al Hasan to take the place of Sunil Narine in the side, as the KKR batting is a little ‘short’.

The Kolkata Knight Riders outfit is currently occupying 4th place in the IPL points table and has won 5 out of its 11 matches. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) are positioned at 6th place and have emerged triumphant in only 4 matches out of the 11 games that they have played.

Aakash Chopra’s Predicted PBKS Playing XI: KL Rahul (c and wk), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Nathan Ellis

Aakash Chopra’s Predicted KKR Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan/Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna