After opting to bat first, Gautam Gambhir and Manvinder Bisla got the Knight Riders off to a good start when the duo put up a swift 45-run partnership for the opening wicket.
However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave Pune Warriors India their first breakthrough when he struck to dismiss Bisla (12) when the Kolkata opener was brilliantly stumped by wicketkeeper Mahesh Rawat.
Soon after, debutant Parvez Rasool, who became the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the IPL, got the all-important wicket of Kallis (2) by having him caught by Angelo Mathews at short cover.
The Knight Riders head into this match with two changes to their playing XI as Ryan ten Doeschate and Manoj Tiwary come into the team in place Ryan McLaren and Debabrata Das.
On the other hand, the Warriors bring in Rasool in place of Rahul Sharma.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders would be looking to restore lost pride when they take on the struggling Pune Warriors.
It will be a great chance for the title-holders, who are virtually out of contention for a berth in the four-team play-offs, to redeem themselves against a side enduring a nightmarish campaign this season.
However, it would certainly not be an easy task for KKR, especially after the thrashing they received at the hands of Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.
Similarly, Pune Warriors cup of woes is also brimming over after they suffered their seventh straight loss against Rajasthan Royals in their previous game.
And it would again be a daunting task for Aaron Finch's boys against a team, which might be low at the moment but boasts of some big-hitters.
Teams:
Pune Warriors India: Robin Uthappa, Aaron Finch (Capt.), Yuvraj Singh, Angelo Mathews, Mitchell Marsh, Udit Birla, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Wayne Parnell, Krishnakant Upadhyay, Parvez Rasool.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (Capt.), Manvinder Bisla (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Rajat Bhatia, Laxmipathy Balaji, Iqbal Abdulla, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Ryan ten Doeschate, Manoj Tiwary.
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