Shubman Gill played a composed, dominant innings of 86 as Gujarat Titans collected a decisive five-wicket victory over winless Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad on Friday. The chase was shaped early by a sharp new-ball spell from Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, which dismantled the KKR top order and kept the target within reach.
Gill ran the chase with controlled aggression, helping the Titans reach their third win of the season. Rabada finished with 3/29 and Siraj returned 2/23, with both bowlers extracting movement to roll over KKR for 180.
Quick facts
- Result: Gujarat Titans beat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in Ahmedabad on Friday
- Gill’s score: 86 runs to power the chase
- New-ball impact: Rabada 3/29 and Siraj 2/23 to bowl KKR out for 180
- KKR form: fifth defeat in six matches; still without a win
- Points update: one point from a washed-out match vs Punjab Kings due to rain
- Timeline note: KKR have eight league games remaining in IPL 2026
For KKR, it was the fifth loss in their sixth outing, leaving them yet to register a victory in the competition. Their only point so far came from a rain-affected no-result against Punjab Kings, while the rest of their campaign has gone the wrong way.
As the season continues, KKR must now work through the remaining eight league fixtures in IPL 2026. There is also a historical marker attached to their situation: no side has ever completed an IPL edition without winning a single match.
KKR’s innings: Green’s fight, then the collapse
Even though KKR ultimately fell short, Cameron Green offered resistance with a determined 79 off 55 balls—the first major batting contribution of his season. After that, the batting order struggled to build pressure for long enough, and the momentum kept swinging back to Gujarat.
The match’s turning points arrived through the powerplay. KKR were left reeling at 37 for 3, while Gill drove GT’s chase to 71 for 1, giving the Titans a platform almost immediately and setting the tone for the rest of the innings.
Chasing a score that never looked truly safe, Gill struck early and efficiently. He found the rope three times, including a clean straight drive, and also hit a six within the first three overs to make the chase look routine.
From there, he settled into a steady rhythm, pacing his innings with precision. Gill finished with eight fours and four sixes, and although KKR did manage to take a few wickets, they were unable to slow the run flow or apply sustained pressure.
When Sai Sudharsan got out, Jos Buttler raised the intensity at once. On his first ball he struck for a boundary, then followed it with a six and another four in quick succession, ensuring the chase stayed under Gujarat’s control.
Earlier: KKR rocked early, wickets in clusters
Before the chase, KKR had been struck early in their innings. They lost three wickets in the first four overs, and the early damage set the tone for the rest of the match.
Rabada and Siraj bowled with precision in the opening phases, while Ashok Sharma (2/45) and Prasidh Krishna (1/32) added further support to keep the batting unit under constant threat.
Green, however, managed to survive the initial pressure. After struggling to get going at the start, he opened up in the middle overs, hitting seven fours and four sixes during his 55-ball stay.
His knock included two key partnerships—first a 55-run stand with Rovman Powell, and then a 60-run partnership with Anukul Roy. Against Rashid Khan, Green was particularly aggressive, striking him for five boundaries and four maximums, though the Afghanistan spinner eventually had him caught behind off the final ball of the innings.
Green also had moments of fortune. He survived an early leg-before appeal, watched an outside edge run to the boundary, and was dropped on 62 when Washington Sundar let a chance slip off the next ball.
But once Green was removed, it became a one-man effort. As the innings progressed, he was starved of strike near the end, and wickets kept falling at the non-striker’s end, leaving KKR with a target that was always going to be difficult.
How wickets fell
Siraj and Rabada set the match in motion during the powerplay. Ajinkya Rahane was the first to go, dismissed for a golden duck in the opening over by Siraj.
Rabada then struck again, producing a sharp outswinger that tempted Angkrish Raghuvanshi into a tentative poke. The ball found the edge and carried to the wicketkeeper.
Tim Seifert, playing his first match of the season, also fell quickly. Rabada deceived him with a short-of-a-length delivery, and the Kiwi batter straightened the ball to point, where Glenn Phillips was waiting.
