Here are the squad for both the teams:
Kings XI Punjab Playing XI: Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Change: Ankit Rajpoot comes in for Mohit Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav. No change in the team.
Both teams come into this match after superlative performances in their respective previous matches. KKR took the confidence of a resounding win against Delhi Daredevils at home, and when they travelled to Jaipur they humbled Rajasthan Royals in their own fortress of Sawai Mansingh Stadium. KXIP, too, have the confidence of consecutive wins -- first, they defeated Chennai Super Kings by a narrow margin of 4 runs, and then, more recently, handed Sunrisers Hyderabad their first defeat of IPL 2018.
Both teams today will be vying to take the top spot on the
Vivo IPL points table. The KKR vs KXIP clash is also seen as a stage set for a giant contest between two big-hitting Jamaicans -- Andre Russell and Chris Gayle.
Gayle was at his best in KXIP’s previous match, where he smashed this season's first century — a 63-ball 104 not out — against one of the best bowling outfits, Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chris Gayle smashed 11 sixes, seven of them against the world's top-ranked T20 international bowler, Rashid Khan, and gave a fitting response to his critics after the humiliation he faced at the IPL 2018 players auctions, where he went unsold.
The 38-year-old Gayle, who represented Royal Challengers Bangalore and KKR earlier, went unsold twice after 10 glorious years until the Virender Sehwag-mentored KXIP gave him a lifeline. Gayle still had to warm the bench in the first two matches, but when his moment came he played two match-winning knocks, including a 63 against Chennai Super Kings. "A lot of people said 'Chris has a point to prove'. Time waits for no one but I'm not here to prove anything to anyone. I just want to move on, enjoy my cricket," Gayle said.
KKR have the likes of Nitish Rana — who fired with bat and ball once again — and their wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla to thank for the second triumph in a row. Rana took the crucial wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and D'Arcy Short when both were looking good for a big score. With the bat, KKR's most consistent player so far remained unbeaten on 35 to see them cross the line with ease. Needless to say, Rana's form augurs well for Dinesh Karthik's men, who also have Robin Uthappa among runs along with the captain himself. KKR's worry would be the form of dashing Australian opener Chris Lynn, who lasted just two balls against Rajasthan Royals and departed cheaply without troubling the scorers. Lynn has struggled against spin and was seen playing with a horizontal bat in only the second ball of his innings to K Gowtham, who castled him.
Here are a few things to know before the KKR vs KXIP match of IPL 2018 to be played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens at 4 pm today: What KKR bowling coach said of their plan of getting Gayle out early: After Chris Gayle blasted a 63-ball 104 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Heath Streak hinted that they will look to get the dynamic West Indies batter back in the hut early when they take on Kings XI Punjab at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. "Lot of people always ask us, the bowling coaches 'what's the plan'. It is very difficult for us to say because then he'll find out. So we can't really tell you the exact plan. He is a dangerous player," Streak told reporters when asked about plans to contain Gayle on the eve of their Punjab game at the Eden Gardens. "How you start to him is very important early on. If you allow someone like Chris Gayle to get into his innings and rhythm and confidence, he is a very dangerous player. He is so powerful and backs his ability when the ball is in his zone to clear the boundary," said KKR’s bowling coach.
What Andrew Tye said about Gayle’s Performance against SRH: Kings XI Punjab speedster Andrew Tye heaped praise on his side's explosive opener, Chris Gayle, saying the West Indian played to perfection during his unbeaten knock of 104 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match here. "Gayle played to perfection. He made sure that he stayed there till the end. You don't often see (spinner Rashid) Khan get hit for more than 25 in one over. To make Rashid concede that many runs (55 in four overs) were awesome. I think he went about it very well. He knew that once he got through the powerplay, the spin would come on and then he got into the rhythm against the spin. I think he was very smart about it not to take too many risks against the Pacers (early on)," Tye said.
Heath Streak on Windies cricketing culture: Be it, Chris Gayle or Andre Russell, the West Indian cricketers have been in big demand in Twenty20 leagues across the world and former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak says it could be because perhaps the 'powerful' Caribbeans get 'bored' playing Test cricket. "Firstly, they enjoy it I think. They get bored by playing the long format of the game. A lot of them are playing all the leagues around the world, If you look at guys like Andre and Sunil from our team and others in the tournament like Pollard. You are getting to a stage where guys are making a career solely out of playing T20 cricket. They play in PSL (Pakistan), CPL (Caribbean), BBL (Big Bash), IPL. They've got physical attributes, the power. The guys like Pollard, Russell are physically strong guys, even their mis-hits go over the boundary," Streak said.
Heath Streak on India’s U-19 World cup stars, Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi: "They definitely are right from the Virat Kohli school of fielding... Last year's KKR, I think the fielding wasn't one of their strengths. I think we are definitely one of the top fielding sides with the youngsters coming in. That's also a welcome aspect of KKR's game that these guys have brought,” KKR bowling coach said.
How KKR and KXIP compare head to head in IPL matches so far Overall Matches played: 22
Kolkata Knight Riders won: 14
Kings XI Punjab won: 7
At Eden Gardens Matches played: 9
Kolkata Knight Riders won: 7
Kings XI Punjab won: 2
Kings XI Punjab have lost more matches to the Knight Riders than they have lost to any other opponent. KXIP haven’t won a match at the Eden Gardens in their last five visits to the venue; the last time they won at the venue was in 2012.
Here is some trivia ahead of today’s match between KKR and KXIP - Chris Gayle Vs. Piyush Chawla in the IPL: Runs scored – 103, Balls faced – 57, Sixes hit – 9, Dismissals – 1, Strike Rate – 180.70!
- Chris Gayle Vs. Sunil Narine in the IPL: Runs scored – 40, Balls faced – 45, Strike Rate – 88.89.
- KXIP have the best scoring rate in the Powerplay overs in VIVO IPL 2018 – 10.29 & the best economy rate in the Powerplay overs – 7.46.
 "IPL 2018: Gayle, Rahul seal 9-wicket win over KKR in rain-affected match")
