IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer Returns to Eden Gardens to Face Former Teammates in KKR

Kolkata, April 25 (NationPress) The legendary Eden Gardens is poised for an emotionally intense showdown this Saturday as the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on the resurgent Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. This match, already pivotal for playoff aspirations, gains further significance with Shreyas Iyer returning to his former home, now donning the opposing team's colors.

Iyer, who led KKR to their third IPL title the previous season, surprisingly found himself not retained by the franchise for this season.

The leadership role shifted to Ajinkya Rahane, a decision that has backfired as KKR finds themselves in seventh place with just three victories from eight matches, precariously close to elimination. A further loss might extinguish their hopes of a top-four finish.

For Iyer, Saturday's match holds personal significance. After being released by KKR, he discovered new motivation with PBKS under the guidance of Ricky Ponting, his former coach at Delhi Capitals. Together, they have rejuvenated the PBKS squad. Iyer has amassed 263 runs, including three half-centuries, leading Punjab to five wins out of eight.

Despite entering this match after three low-scoring performances, there’s little doubt that Eden Gardens could serve as the perfect backdrop for his resurgence, both in terms of performance and narrative. The earlier encounter this season in Chandigarh adds intrigue to this face-off, where Punjab defended the lowest total in IPL history—111—against KKR.

At one point, KKR seemed to be in a strong position at 62/2 but suffered a shocking collapse, bowled out for merely 95, with Yuzvendra Chahal wreaking havoc. That unexpected defeat still stings, and KKR is eager to rectify that misstep on their home ground.

However, their home advantage has not proved reliable this season; Kolkata has lost three of their four home games in 2025, and the once-formidable Eden Gardens now mirrors their inconsistency. Their bowling has been lackluster, and their batting has relied too heavily on individual performances.

This match offers PBKS a chance to climb to third on the points table, surpassing Mumbai Indians and RCB. Their squad appears well-balanced, with strong opening partnerships, Iyer anchoring the middle order, and a bowling unit executing with skill and variety.

When: Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Where to watch: Live on Star Sports network and streaming on JioHotstar

Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson

Punjab Kings: Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Praveen Dubey, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur