The 2lst match of the Indian Premier League 2025 will see Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squaring off against Lucknow super Giants (LSG) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, April 8. Ahead of this exciting match, here’s all you need to know about the KKR vs LSG Dream 11 Prediction, today’s playing 11s, fantasy cricket tips, and the pitch report.
Match Details
Match: KKR vs LSG, Match 21 IPL 2025.
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Time: 3:30 PM (IST).
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Live streaming: Jio Hotstar.
Live broadcast: Star Sports.
Betting Web site:
The contest between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants offers a unique rivalry in the Indian Premier League . One between the fans of a football club [Mohun Bagan also owned by owners of LSG] and a cricket team. Last year, the franchise and the club expressed their displeasure over each other’s efforts to claim turf at the Eden Gardens. This year, it shouldn’t be any different.
Amidst chatter about the lack of crowd in one of India’s most iconic stadiums. This contest on Tuesday presents an opportunity to test the weight of this passionate rivalry. But beyond the question of who brings the fans to the stadium is a bigger question. Which of the two teams, scratchy and middling so far this season, will pick momentum and put themselves among the table toppers.
Despite the inconsistent performances so far, both teams find themselves in a position to move to the top-four by the end of Tuesday’s contest. For that, they would need some of their most potent weapons to regain their prime touch, especially in the batting department.
While for KKR their biggest concern would be the lack of power-starts from their openers. Which was a pivotal feature of their tournament-winning campaign last season, for LSG there are bigger concerns. Even as both Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock have one big innings to show. There is still more dependency than deliverance from them so far at the top.
For LSG, the concerns are significant, and their captain, Rishabh Pant, is struggling to find his form. Last season, Pant performed exceptionally well, scoring 446 runs at an average of 40.55 with a strike rate of 155.40. Moreover, he had only one single-digit score during that period. However, this season has been tough for him, as he has managed only 19 runs in three matches, with a strike rate of just 59.37. Additionally, the pitch conditions are not in his favor, since the ball tends to hold up a bit on such surfaces. Consequently, playing big shots becomes more challenging, and shot-making will not get any easier for Pant or LSG. Therefore, the team needs to address these issues urgently to turn things around.
Either way, despite having won their respective previous games rather convincingly, both teams have largely been rusty and far from gaining the momentum they would like. There are ample areas to fine-tune on before heading into the middle phase of the league stage.
Eden Gardens Pitch & Weather Report
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Eden Gardens pitch. As per reports, the picturesque stadium has two different kinds of surfaces ready. One is a high-scoring pitch, which has been more common at the historic venue in recent years. On the other hand, the second surface will assist the spinners more. In the last game, KKR scored 200/6 before dismissing the Sunrisers for 120. There was a decent amount of swing for the pacers upfront. The spinners were getting assistance, but it was by no means a rank turner. It will be important for the captains to read the pitch correctly before the match and make plans accordingly .The team that will win the toss will want to bowl first as dew is expected in the second innings.
According to AccuWeather, the temperature will be 33 degrees Celsius at the beginning of the match and it will fall down to 28 degrees Celsius towards the end. The humidity is predicted to fluctuate around 68% during the game. The sky is expected to be have intermittent clouds in the beginning of the game and will be clearer as the match progresses. There is about 5% to 7% possibility of rain during match hours.
Kolkata Knight Riders IPL stats at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Matches played: 90
won: 53
lost: 37
tied: 0
No Result: 0
Highest Score: 261
Lowest Score: 108
Lucknow Super Giants stats at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Matches played: 3
won: 1
lost: 2
tied: 0
No Result: 0
Highest Score: 193
Lowest Score: 161
IPL stats at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Highest team score: 262/2 by Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2024)
Lowest team score: 49/10 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2017)
Highest score by a player in a match: Rajat Patidar – 112* runs vs LSG (2022)
Most wickets by a player in a match: Sunil Narine vs KXIP – 5 wickets (2012)
Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | 05 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 02 |
| Won by Lucknow Super Giants | 03 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | May 7, 2022 |
| Most-recent Fixture | May 5, 2024 |
KKR vs LSG Match Prediction Playing 11
Kolkata Knight Riders
Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Impact Player: Vaibhav Arora
Injuries/Unavailability: Anrich Nortje, who was ‘close to full fitness’ till the previous game, was seen bowling in full tilt ahead of the last game. However, no information has been provided on his availability for the game against LSG.
Tactics & Matchups: Sunil Narine has been one of the few spinners who has managed to keep Nicholas Pooran in check. The mystery spinner has conceded only 171 runs off 150 balls in T20s against the southpaw, which includes a maiden Super Over. Expect a fair bit of bowling by Narine while Pooran is in the middle.
Lucknow Super Giants
Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi.
Impact Player: Ravi Bishnoi
Injuries/Unavailability: Mayank Yadav is ruled out of the contest as he is still recovering from his injury
Tactics & Matchups: KKR have four left-handers in their top-six, which could push LSG to hand a greater role with the ball to Aiden Markram.
Prediction of Key Players to Watch in KKR vs LSG Match 21
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Sunil Narine: A game-changer at Eden Gardens. He smashed 81 off 39 against LSG last year and remains a threat with both bat and ball.
Venkatesh Iyer: Known for his explosive batting, Iyer recently hit 60 off 29 against SRH and could be crucial in the middle overs.
Quinton de Kock: The KKR opener is in solid form and is due for a big knock, with a top score of 97* already this season.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG):
Nicholas Pooran: Currently the leading run-scorer in IPL 2025, Pooran has been LSG’s most consistent batter this season.
Mitchell Marsh: A key figure in the top order Marsh has scored 184 runs in 4 games at an average of 46.
Ravi Bishnoi: With the pitch likely to aid spin later in the day, Bishnoi could become a major factor against the KKR lineup.
KKR vs LSG Match 21 Winner Prediction, Who Will Win?
Given their recent dominant win, familiarity with home conditions, and the momentum they carry, Kolkata Knight Riders start as slight favourites over LSG in this high-octane clash.
Prediction: KKR to win Match 21 of IPL 2025.