PBKS vs KKR Highlights IPL 2023: Punjab Kings defeat Kolkata Knight Riders in rain-affected game

20:04 (IST)

That brings us to the end of our coverage of Match 2 of IPL 2023 with Punjab Kings emerging victorious.

Time to shift our attention to the Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals match that is taking place in Lucknow at the moment. Click here to follow live coverage of the LSG-DC match.

20:02 (IST)

An ideal start to the season for Punjab Kings as they begin with a victory over Kolkata Knight Riders — a side they have historically struggled against with 20 defeats in 31 games — bossing them in all departments today.

Punjab ticked off quite a few boxes today, from Prabhsimran Singh impressing as an opener, Bhanuka Rajapaksa scoring his maiden IPL fifty and another inspired powerplay spell from Arshdeep Singh to the all-round efforts of Sikandar Raza and Sam Curran.

Shikhar Dhawan also gave a good account of himself in his first game in charge of the Punjab Kings, and will have given the team owners reason to hope for a revival in the 16th season.

19:50 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

Match called off, Punjab Kings win their opening game of IPL 2023 against KKR! Shikhar Dhawan and Co win by 7 runs (DLS Method).

19:46 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

According to reports, there will be no reduction in overs till 7.54 PM local time, that's less than 10 minutes from now, after which there will be an over reduction for every four minutes of delay. The way it's pouring in Mohali right now, resumption appears unlikely.

19:29 (IST)

DC opt to field vs LSG

While we wait for the rain clouds to disperse in Mohali, you can head to our live coverage of the second game of the Saturday double-header, with Lucknow Super Giants taking on Delhi Capitals in their first game at the their home ground of the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Delhi Capitals have opted to field against Lucknow Super Giants.

Click here to follow LIVE Updates of that match

19:23 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

RAIN HALTS PLAY IN MOHALI

The covers have been brought out at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali as the drizzle gets heavier, forcing the players and umpires to head out of the playing area with just four overs left in the Kolkata chase!

According to the DLS calculations, Kolkata are seven runs behind at the moment, and will end up conceding points to Punjab if the remainder of the match gets washed out.

19:22 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

After 16 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 146/7 ( Shardul Thakur 8 , Sunil Narine 7)

SIX! New batter Sunil Narine too shows he can make good use of the bat, as he smashes the ball over long on off Arshdeep off the final ball of the 16th! Kolkata Knight Riders need another 46 to win off 24, a task that has got all the more difficult after the departure of the set batters in Russell and Iyer.

19:16 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

OUT! Is that the game? Arshdeep returns to the attack in the slog overs and prises out the final threat in Iyer, who opens the face of his bat and sends the ball down Chahar's throat at point to depart for 34. Very difficult for Kolkata to chase down 192 from here, if not impossible. KKR 138/7

Iyer c Chahar b Arshdeep 34(28)

19:14 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

After 15 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 136/6 ( Venkatesh Iyer 33 , Shardul Thakur 6)

SIX! WHAT A SHOT! Shardul Thakur starts off with a sensational six, tucking a short-of-length ball from Sam Curran over the deep square leg fence even though he is cramped for room! That is the shot that would even make someone like Virat Kohli proud!

KKR need 56 off 30

19:13 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

OUT! Six, four and a wicket for Sam Curran, as the Englishman deceives the big-hitting West Indian with a slower one! Russell looks to take the aerial route again, but is caught by Sikandar Raza in front of the midwicket boundary! End of a fine sixth-wicket stand that got Kolkata's hopes up in this game. Dre Russ is furious with himself, unerstandably so. KKR 130/6

Russell c Raza b Curran 35(19)

19:09 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

SIX! FOUR! Russell hammers the ball into the stands beyond wide long on for a 92-metre hit, and follows it up with a deft little upper cut after opening the face of his bat, guiding the ball towards wide third man for a four in the process and bringing up the fifty partnership with Iyer for the sixth wicket! KKR 130/5

19:05 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 118/5 ( Venkatesh Iyer 32 , Andre Russell 24)

Horror over from Nathan Ellis with 18 coming off it, including a couple of no balls and along with a four and a six to Russell and Iyer respectively. Just the over that the Knight Riders needed for them to stay alive in this chase! Umpire signals timeout at the end of the 14th. Meanwhile, it's starting to drizzle in Mohali at the moment, though it's not heavy enough for the players to reteat to their respective dressing rooms.

KKR need 74 off 36 with five wickets in hand

19:01 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

SIX! Iyer smashes the ball down the ground off the free hit after Ellis overstepped in the previous delivery! Turns out Ellis overstepped in the free hit as well, but follows it up with a tidy delivery for just one. KKR 117/5

18:58 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

FOUR! Muscled over mid off by Russell off Ellis, who has been brought back into the attack at the start of the 14th over. KKR 105/5

18:57 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

KKR need 92 off 42 balls with five wickets in hand. Even for Dre Russ's lofty standards, guiding Kolkata to victory from here will be a tough prospect.

18:53 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

SIX! High and mighty over long on, as Andre Russell clears his front leg and decides to go downtown off leg-spinner Rahul Chahar's bowling! KKR 98/5

18:51 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 91/5 ( Venkatesh Iyer 22 , Andre Russell 9)

FOUR! Hammered over Harpreet Brar's head as Dre Russ announces himself at the crease with a boundary and decides he's had enough of settling at the crease. A single and a leg bye added to the Kolkata total in the remaining deliveries, leaving Iyer, Russell and the remainder of the KKR batting lineup needing another 101 off 48 with five wickets in hand.

18:49 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

OUT! Rahul Chahar strikes off his first ball of the evening as the dangerous Rinku Singh departs after going for a slog sweep. Didn't quite time it and ended up serving Sikandar Raza a simple catch at cow corner. KKR 80/5

Rinku c Raza b Chahar 4(4)

18:41 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

OUT! Raza strikes after the timeout, as KKR skipper Rana ends up slicing the ball straight to Chahar at backward point! End of what was turning out to be a solid partnership. KKR 75/4

Rana c Chahar b Raza 24(17)

18:38 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

After 9 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 75/3 ( Venkatesh Iyer 20 , Nitish Rana (C) 24)

Huge over for the Knight Riders, with Punjab Impact Player Rishi Dhawan going for 15 runs. Iyer collects a boundary off the penultimate delivery after the four and six off consecutive balls by Rana earlier in the over, pulling it through the midwicket region. Timeout signalled at the end of the ninth over, with KKR needing another 117 off 66.

18:34 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

FOUR! SIX! Rana decides to tee off after Impact Player Rishi Dhawan is introduced into the attack! Gets a thick outside edge past the wicketkeeper as the ball runs all the way to the third man fence for a four. The KKR skipper then follows it up with a majestic pull over deep midwicket for his first six of the innings. KKR 70/3

18:32 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

After 8 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 60/3 ( Venkatesh Iyer 16 , Nitish Rana (C) 13)

FOUR! The pressure was starting to build on Kolkata due to the lack of boundaries and skipper Nitish Rana — who has been relatively quiet so far — decides to respond with a switch hit, guiding this over short third man with the fielder giving the ball a chase in vain. Leg bye added to the KKR total off the last ball. 10 off the over.

18:30 (IST)

Made quite the impression today, did the Afghan

Really like Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Has all the shots but I hope he sees himself as more than a power play slogger.— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 1, 2023

18:26 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

After 6 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 46/3 ( Venkatesh Iyer 10 , Nitish Rana (C) 7)

FOUR! FOUR! Consecutive boundaries to Iyer off the last two balls of the sixth over as Kolkata reach 46/3 at the end of the powerplay, going at seven-and-a-half an over at the moment! Iyer threads the gap between backward point and short fine with precision in the penultimate delivery before punching the ball in front of square next up. KKR need another 146 to win off 84 with seven wickets in hand.

18:17 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

BOWLED! Nathan Ellis strikes in his first over, and nets the big fish that is Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was striking the ball well and whose presence at the crease gave Kolkata hope. Gurbaz makes room, looking to play an inside-out shot but misses completely, getting his off-stump rattled in the process. KKR 29/3

Gurbaz b Ellis 22(16)

18:15 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

After 4 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 29/2 ( Rahmanullah Gurbaz (W) 22 , Venkatesh Iyer 1)

FOUR! Gurbaz decides to give Arshdeep the charge after four consecutive dots in the fourth over, getting a thick outside edge that flies wide of short third man and runs away for a boundary. The Afghan keeps the strike with a single off the last ball.

18:13 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

FOUR! Gurbaz continues to attack even with wickets falling at the other end. Bowled into the slot by Curran, and the Afghan has little problem going for an inside-out loft over mid off. KKR 21/2

18:09 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer replaces spinner Varun Chakravarthy as the Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Player, and comes in to bat at No 4! He has quite the task of rescuing KKR along with Gurbaz from the tricky situation that they find themselves in at the moment.

18:06 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

OUT! Tame end to Roy's stay at the crease as he chips the ball towards Raza at midwicket while attempting a pull off Arshdeep, who has now struck twice in his first over to put Punjab in the driver's seat! Four runs and two wickets in the over for the left-arm seamer! KKR 17/2

Roy c Raza b Arshdeep 4(5)

18:04 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

FOUR! Confident start for KKR No 3 Anukul Roy as he clobbers the ball over mid off off Arshdeep in the second delivery that he faces. KKR 17/1

18:03 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

OUT! Arshdeep Singh, leading the Punjab attack today, strikes off his first delivery of the season as KKR opener Mandeep Singh holes out to Sam Curran at deep square leg while looking for a maximum. KKR 13/1

Mandeep c Curran b Arshdeep 2(4)

18:00 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

After 1 over,Kolkata Knight Riders 13/0 ( Mandeep Singh 2 , Rahmanullah Gurbaz (W) 11)

SIX! FOUR! What a start for Afghan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz on IPL debut as he collects a six and a four off consecutive balls from Punjab all-rounder Sam Curran! Smacks the ball over long on for a maximum off the penultimate ball before flicking towards the midwicket fence for a boundary.

17:56 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

Play does resume in the end at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali as the floodlights are switched on one after another. Mandeep Singh and debutant Rahmanullah Gurbaz walk out to open the KKR innings, with Sam Curran getting ready to send down the first over.

17:38 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Score

Rishi Dhawan is the Impact Player for the Punjab Kings today, replacing Bhanuka Rajapaksa! Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders openers have made their way back to the dugout after walking out to open, with a floodlight failure delaying the start of the second innings.

17:13 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 20 overs,Punjab Kings 191/5 ( Sam Curran 26 , Shahrukh Khan 11)

SRK starts off with a boundary off the first ball of the final over, slapping the ball over mid off. Gets off strike with a single off the second delivery, with Curran picking a slower ball off the third and pulling it over the cow corner fence for a maximum! Curran then collects back-to-back doubles before Southee beats the southpaw's blade to finish with a dot.

15 off the final over as Punjab Kings set Kolkata Knight Riders 192 to win after being invited to bat!

17:10 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 19 overs,Punjab Kings 176/5 ( Sam Curran 16 , Shahrukh Khan 6)

FOUR! Absolutely smoked through the covers by M Shahrukh Khan, who joins Sam Curran at the crease after Sikandar Raza's dismissal, ruining what was turning out to be an excellent penultimate over from Shardul Thakur. Eight off the over. Punjab 24 short of 200 with one more over to go.

17:03 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

OUT! Raza's stay comes to an end as he ends up slicing the ball towards cover point, where KKR skipper Nitish Rana pulls off a simple catch. PBKS 168/5

Raza c Rana b Narine 16(13)

17:01 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 17 overs,Punjab Kings 164/4 ( Sikandar Raza 15 , Sam Curran 11)

SIX! Curran ruins what was turning out to be a tidy final over from Chakravarthy, charging down the track and smashing the ball over long on for his first maximum! Chakravarthy signs off with figures of 1/26 at the end of his quotea.

16:56 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 16 overs,Punjab Kings 154/4 ( Sikandar Raza 13 , Sam Curran 3)

SIX! Slower one outside off from Thakur, and Raza has little trouble clobbering this inside out for his first maximum. He's batting on 13 at the end of the 16th over, with Sam Curran on 3. Second timeout signalled, as we head to the slog overs of the Punjab innings.

16:45 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

BOWLED! Quicker delivery does the trick for Chakravarthy as Dhawan misses the ball completely while attempting to play across the line. Big wicket for KKR as the PBKS skipper, who was expected to stay till the very end and propel the side towards a big total, departs. PBKS 143/4

Dhawan b Chakravarthy 40(29)

16:42 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

FOUR! Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza collects a boundary off his first delivery in the IPL! Gets a back-of-length delivery going down leg, and the all-rounder decides to whip it behind square leg. Fine leg fails to get to the ball on time after running to his left. PBKS 139/3

16:39 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

OUT! Jitesh's little cameo comes to an end as Southee deceives Jitesh with a slower delivery. Jitesh throws the kitchen sink at it, and ends up getting a leading edge to short third. PBKS 135/3

Jitesh c Umesh b Southee 21(11)

16:38 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

SIX! Absolutely majestic from Jitesh as he rocks back and clobbers a full delivery from Southee over long off! PBKS 135/2

16:36 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 13 overs,Punjab Kings 129/2 ( Shikhar Dhawan (C) 38 , Jitesh Sharma (W) 15)

FOUR! Jitesh shuffles to his right and pulls a short ball from Umesh behind square, collecting his first four in the process! He's striking at 200 at the moment! Collects a single, the fourth of the over, off the last ball to keep the strike. Eight off Umesh's final over as the senior pacer signs off with figures of 1/27.

16:35 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

SIX! Jitesh Sharma, who has joined Dhawan at the crease after Rajapaksa's dismissal, fires a warning to the KKR bowlers by charging down the pitch and smashing the ball over long on for a 97-metre hit! PBKS 121/2

16:32 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

OUT! Rajapaksa departs just two balls after bringing up his maiden IPL fifty, getting caught at long on while attempting to end Umesh Yadav's third over with a maximum. He will be disappointed at not converting this into a bigger score. Punjab though, have a fair amount of batting left and remain in the hunt for 200. PBKS 109/2

Rajapaksa c Rinku b Umesh 50(32)

16:29 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

FIFTY for Bhanuka Rajapaksa — his first ever in the Indian Premier League! Brings up the milestone with a slice over the cover region, getting enough time for a second. Takes 30 deliveries to reach his fifty, collecting five fours and a couple of maximums along the way. PBKS 109/1

16:28 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR IPL 2023 LIVE Score

After 10 overs,Punjab Kings 100/1 ( Shikhar Dhawan (C) 29 , Bhanuka Rajapaksa 46)

Nine off Chakravarthy's second over, including a boundary to Dhawan off the first delivery, as PBKS reach 100 at the halfway stage of their innings. They will hope to continue the flow of runs and go past 200 today.

16:18 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

FOUR! Dhawan dispatches a wide, waist-high full toss from Thakur behind point, with the ball bouncing once before going over the boundary rope. Thakur, though, does well to collect a dot in the subsequent Free Hit. PBKS 90/1

16:11 (IST)

PBKS vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score

FOUR! Sloppy work by Chakravarthy at short fine leg, with the ball passing through despite the spinner putting in a slide, as Rajapaksa brings up the fifty partnership for the second wicket with Dhawan with a sweep off Narine. The pair have consumed 33 deliveries in the second-wicket stand so far. PBKS 75/1