Punjab Kings own the batting powerplay, but bowling still a blind spot

When Punjab Kings step onto the field to face the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens this Saturday in their IPL 2025 clash the stakes will be high More than just a crucial fixture in the playoff race the match presents an opportunity for Shreyas Iyerrsquos side to address a glaring imbalance in their powerplay performances excellence with the bat but inconsistency with the ballCurrently placed fifth on the points table with five wins and three losses Punjab have accumulated 10 points In contrast KKR find themselves in a difficult position languishing at seventh with just three victories from eight outings As both teams chase vital points PBKS will be especially focused on finetuning their approach during the first six overs of the matchWith the bat Punjab Kings have been a force to reckon with in the powerplay The trio of Priyansh Arya Prabhsimran Singh and Iyer have spearheaded the aggressive approach at the top propelling the team to a tournamentbest powerplay run rate of 1067 Priyansh with 254 runs at a strike rate of 20158 has been particularly explosive smashing 24 fours and 18 sixes in eight matches Prabhsimran though slightly inconsistent has provided brisk starts with a strike rate of 16854 while Iyer has brought stability and class scoring 263 runs at a strike rate of 18521 His composed aggression has often anchored the innings and recovered early setbacksHowever the same impact hasnrsquot translated to their bowling during the powerplay Despite their firepower with the bat Punjab Kings have struggled to make early inroads with the ball They have managed to claim just 10 wickets across eight matches in the first six overs the jointlowest among all teams alongside Rajasthan Royals Moreover they have conceded 430 runs in that phase including 50 boundaries and 16 sixes leaking runs at 934 per over the sixthworst economy in the leagueThis contrasting tale of two disciplines during the powerplay remains a critical area for Punjab Kings to address As they gear up to challenge KKR at Eden Gardens striking the right balance between aggressive batting and disciplined newball bowling could define their trajectory in the business end of the seasonKKR vs PBKS IPL 2025 TeamsKolkata Knight Riders Squad Rahmanullah Gurbazw Sunil Narine Ajinkya Rahanec Venkatesh Iyer Rinku Singh Moeen Ali Andre Russell Ramandeep Singh Harshit Rana Vaibhav Arora Varun Chakaravarthy Angkrish Raghuvanshi Manish Pandey Anukul Roy Rovman Powell Luvnith Sisodia Quinton de Kock Anrich Nortje Spencer Johnson Chetan Sakariya Mayank MarkandePunjab Kings Squad Priyansh Arya Prabhsimran Singh Shreyas Iyerc Josh Inglisw Nehal Wadhera Shashank Singh Marcus Stoinis Marco Jansen Xavier Bartlett Arshdeep Singh Yuzvendra Chahal Harpreet Brar Vijaykumar Vyshak Praveen Dubey Glenn Maxwell Suryansh Shedge Yash Thakur Aaron Hardie Azmatullah Omarzai Kuldeep Sen Harnoor Singh Vishnu Vinod Musheer Khan Pyla AvinashWith ANI inputsatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params