PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score, Today's IPL 2021 Match: Kolkata eyes second win vs Punjab; Cummins, Russell in focus; Toss at 7:00 PM

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's LIVE BLOG of Match 21 of IPL 2021 between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders being played in Ahmedabad.

6:20PM: Two men at the helm  - Baz McCullum and Anil Kumble have a light moment near the main wicket. It's been a gruelling start for both men as they continue to wrap their heads around the ideal combinations for momentum.

6:10PM: Nearly an hour to go for the Toss. Can KKR finally shed off the fatigue of successive losses and redeem itself in the first game being played in Ahmedabad this season?

Numbers Game

- Match Preview -

Over a fortnight's action done and five games each off their schedules, Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves on similar course. Kolkata, however, is wounded deeper as the side has just lost the plot altogether.

Captain Eoin Morgan's resources could not be labelled below any other side in the league - a powerhouse middle-order comprising himself, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and a talismanic Pat Cummins who steps up at possibly the right hour - easily puts them above most teams.

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Yet the Knights have found a way to let slip the points from winning positions. With a tepid batting display paving way for its fourth loss on the trot on Saturday, Kolkata is hoping for its leading stars to take charge imminently. While pace spearhead Pat Cummins has put up a more eye-popping showing with the bat, Andre Russell's on-and-off show has also hurt the cause. Skipper Morgan's blade has been on the wane as well - just 45 runs from five innings. 

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KKR's openers Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill have also failed to cash in on the Powerplays, forcing their side into a shell before the middle-order attempts an all-out slog in an act of desperation.

KL Rahul's men, on the other hand, have some respite as they touchdown in Ahmedabad. A convincing nine-wicket win over the defending champion Mumbai Indians on Friday, helped Punjab snap a run of three straight losses. However, Rahul and coach Kumble will have another tussle in tweaking its winning combination to suit themselves to the conditions of Ahmedabad.

STARS FROM LAST SEASON (IPL 2020):

Full Squads

Punjab Kings Squad: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Murugan Ashwin, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jalaj Saxena, Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Jhye Richardson, Ishan Porel, Riley Meredith, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Brar

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Harbhajan Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sheldon Jackson, Sandeep Warrier, Tim Seifert, Lockie Ferguson, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vaibhav Arora

DETAILS: