IPL 2021, Match 45: KKR vs PBKS, Stats Preview: Player records and approaching milestones

Match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will see Kolkata Knight Riders taking on the Punjab Kings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With the competition being in its business end, stakes are high in the upcoming fixtures. Hence, teams eyeing a place in the playoffs must buckle up. KKR and PBKS have had pretty similar campaigns this season and it would be interesting to see how this encounter unfolds.

With five wins in 11 games, Eoin Morgan’s men are in a relatively better position as victories in their remaining three fixtures would surely guarantee them a place in the playoffs. However, the grass is not that greener on PBKS’ side. As they won just four of their first 11 games, they need to keep an eye on the net run rate alongside winning their remaining games.

This also means a defeat against KKR would see PBKS getting knocked out of the competition. KKR will definitely take the field as favorites as they have been brilliant as a unit in the UAE leg. There aren’t many shortcomings in their side either.

On the other hand, PBKS need to overcome their tendency of losing momentum out of nowhere. Nevertheless, the likes of KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, and Nicholas Pooran are proven stars of this format. Hence, KKR can’t afford to put their guard down.

Meanwhile, let’s look at important stats and numbers ahead of the 45th game of the Indian Premier League 2021:

Head to Head record: KKR are way ahead of PBKS in terms of head-to-head record in IPL. In 28 clashes, the two-time champions have won 19 games the Kings emerged winners just nine times.

16 – Dinesh Karthik needs 16 runs to become the 8th Indian and 11th overall to slam 4000 runs in IPL.

31 – Eoin Morgan needs 31 runs to become the 13th player to complete 1000 runs for KKR in IPL.

2 – KL Rahul needs to clear the fence two times to complete 100 sixes for Punjab Kings. He would become the first batter to do so for PBKS.

3 – Mayank Agarwal is three big hits away from completing 50 sixes for Punjab.

7 – Andre Russell is 7 hits away from completing 150 sixes in IPL.

2 – Dinesh Karthik needs two catches to go past MS Dhoni and become the wicketkeeper with most catches in IPL. The KKR star has 115 catches in the competition so far.

77 – Sunil Narine can also complete 1000 IPL runs for KKR. He’s 77 runs away from the milestone. Narine would become the first all-rounder to score over 1000 runs and take over 100 wickets for KKR in IPL.

8 – Chris Gayle can also reach the 100-sixes mark for PBKS. He’s eight hits away. If the southpaw achieves this feat, he would become the first player to smash 100 sixes for two IPL teams. He smashed 239 sixes while playing for RCB.

35 – Gayle is also 35 runs shy of becoming the first West Indies and seventh player overall to complete 5,000 IPL runs.

30 – Sunil Narine’s tally of 30 wickets is the most for any bowler against Punjab Kings.