Shubman Gill’s explosive 90 off 55 balls, backed by a clinical bowling performance, led Gujarat Titans to a convincing 39-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Monday, April 21. For the first time this season, Kolkata Knight Riders have suffered back-to-back defeats.
While chasing 199, KKR stumbled early as Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed by Mohammad Siraj on the fifth ball of the innings after scoring just 1 run off 4 balls. Sunil Narine couldn’t make much impact either, falling for 17 runs off 13 deliveries. Captain Ajinkya Rahane tried to anchor the innings with a 50 off 36 balls, but Venkatesh Iyer struggled, managing only 14 runs from 19 balls. Apart from Rahane, all other KKR batters flopped.
GT Set 199-Run Target as Gill, Sudharsan Shine
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bowl first. Gujarat Titans, riding on strong performances from their top order, posted a challenging total of 198/3. Captain Shubman Gill led from the front with a fluent 90, while Sai Sudharsan continued his golden form with a well-compiled 52. KKR now need 199 runs to win.
Solid Start from Gill and Sudharsan
Opening the innings, Gill and Sudharsan gave GT a flying start, putting up a 114-run partnership in 12.2 overs. Sudharsan was dismissed for 52 off 36 balls by Andre Russell.
Shubman Gill looked on course for a century but fell short, getting out for 90 off 55 balls with 10 boundaries and 3 sixes. Rahul Tewatia departed without scoring, while Jos Buttler provided late momentum with an unbeaten 41 off 23 deliveries. Shahrukh Khan remained not out on 11 from 5 balls.
Among KKR’s bowlers, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, and Andre Russell picked up a wicket each, but the Gujarat top order ensured a stiff target for the hosts.
Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammad Siraj.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.
