"Punjab Kings is a strong side, I see them as contenders for playoffs": Ambati Rayudu ahead of PBKS vs KKR clash

New Delhi [India] April 26 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu believes that Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer will be highly motivated to perform well against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Iyer led KKR to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title last season but was not retained by the franchise ahead of IPL 2025.
Subsequently, PBKS picked up Iyer at the IPL auction 2025 and appointed him as their captain.
Rayudu sees Punjab Kings as a stronger team this season and believes they are serious contenders for the playoffs.
"He'll carry great memories of the ground and KKR, having won the IPL with them last season. There'll be a bit of fire in the belly--he wasn't retained, and now he's captaining Punjab. I think he'll be focused and motivated. Punjab looks the stronger side this season, and I see them as serious contenders for the playoffs," said JioStar expert Ambati Rayudu while speaking on Match Centre Live on JioHotstar.
Ajinkya Rahane's Kolkata Knight Riders will compete against Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League 2025 Match No. 44 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday. KKR will be aiming to recover from consecutive defeats and return to winning ways.
The host, Kolkata, is currently placed seventh on the points table with only three wins from eight matches, while Punjab sits firmly in fifth place with five wins out of eight matches.
KKR requires five victories in their final six matches to have a chance at qualifying for the top four. For PBKS, achieving three wins in their remaining six games would be sufficient for Iyer's Punjab.
Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Mumbai Indians occupy the top four positions in the points table.
GT, DC, and RCB all have 12 points to their name, but Gujarat and Delhi have played one match fewer than RCB. A victory for Punjab on Saturday would elevate them above MI to fourth place, equal on points with GT, DC, and RCB.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), 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 Markande.
Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer(c), Josh Inglis(w), 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 Avinash. (ANI)