Shubman Gill kept the Ahmedabad spotlight firmly on him once again, piling up his 10th score of fifty-plus in just 27 T20 appearances at the venue as Gujarat Titans climbed into the fourth position. The Titans beat Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets, chasing down 180 with one over left in a chase that looked far more comfortable than the final few moments suggested. KKR, who finished on 180, were made to pay by Gill’s big innings and the Titans’ controlled push in the final stages, even though Cameron Green eventually found momentum with the bat. It also left the Knight Riders winless after six matches.
Brief scores and match outcome
Kolkata Knight Riders posted 180 runs in 20 overs, powered by Cameron Green’s 79 off 55 balls and Rovman Powell’s 27 off 20. Kagiso Rabada produced 3 wickets for 29, while Mohammed Siraj claimed 2 for 23. In reply, Gujarat Titans reached 181/5 in 19.4 overs. Gill struck 86 off 50, and Jos Buttler contributed 25 off 15. Varun Chakaravarthy took 2 wickets, conceding 34. Gujarat Titans won by 5 wickets.
How the innings changed shape
KKR’s batting: struggles after choosing to bat
- Kagiso Rabada’s Powerplay haul included two wickets early; it was only his third such instance in IPL history, with the last coming against RCB in 2024.
- Against a KKR side that had been under pressure, Rabada added another wicket, bringing his tally up further.
- Mohammed Siraj started the damage by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for a duck, with it being the first IPL duck for Rahane since 2020 during his time as KKR captain.
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi edged one outside off to draw a nick, while Tim Seifert, playing as Finn Allen’s replacement, sliced one straight to point—both contributing to Rabada’s wickets.
- Cameron Green managed to reverse a caught-behind call, but the early restriction had already set the tone, with Gujarat Titans limiting KKR to 37/3 in the Powerplay.
- Three wickets inside the Powerplay pushed KKR’s total to 12 for the season, the highest among all teams, with CSK on 10 in second place.
Powell’s revival despite Green’s slow start
- Rovman Powell provided the momentum KKR needed, even though Green was still finding it hard to score, registering under a run-a-ball.
- Powell struck Prasidh Krishna over long-on for a six, then followed it with another six and a four off Ashok Sharma.
- He also hit a four off Rashid Khan, and Green matched it with a similar boundary—taking KKR to 80 for 3 after 10 overs.
A free-hit moment and then Green takes control
- When Ashok attempted a slower ball to Green in the 11th over, it was delivered as a wide that didn’t land on the pitch, resulting in a free-hit.
- On the free-hit, Green missed a pull attempt and was met with a dot ball.
- Soon after, Green connected properly off the corrected slower delivery and Powell was dismissed.
At the halfway stage Green was on 27 from 28 balls, but after that his game transformed. A six and a four off Rashid Khan were followed by two more sixes off Ashok as Green reached a fifty in 34 balls. He then struck another six off Rashid, edged a ball for four, and also had a moment of fortune when Washington Sundar dropped a chance as the ball raced to the boundary. Even with Green’s boundaries and big hits, wickets continued to fall around him as KKR tried to accelerate from 147/4 in the 15th over to 173/9 in the final overs. Green struggled in the last two overs, scoring just 3 from the nine balls he faced, and was dismissed on the last ball of his spell’s work—falling to Rashid.
Gujarat Titans’ chase: Gill’s class, Green’s absence with the ball
Early momentum for GT
- Gill set the tempo with clean timing, including a straight drive off Kartik Tyagi and several other fluent boundaries.
- He also struck a six off Anukul Roy as both batters continued to score freely.
- Sai Sudharsan supported strongly with two sixes off the left-arm spinner, helping GT race beyond fifty inside five overs.
- Narine ended Sudharsan’s stay in the sixth over, but Jos Buttler responded aggressively—hitting two fours and a six in the same over to push GT past 70 by the end of the Powerplay.
Finishing the job with a late twist
- Varun Chakaravarthy, who has troubled Buttler in previous meetings, dismissed the England batter again and extended his wicket tally against him to seven in 11 T20 innings.
- That setback didn’t slow Gujarat’s progress, with Gill continuing to find runs, including a front-foot pull for a six off Tyagi.
- Sundar offered support until he mistimed a pull against Varun, giving a catch in the deep.
- Gill moved into the 80s, bringing the equation down to 32 needed from the final four overs.
- In a dramatic moment, Cameron Green produced a diving stop from deep backward point to send Gill back, opening a small window for KKR.
- That window was narrowed again when Phillips struck two fours off Tyagi in the 18th over, although GT still required five in the last.
- Vaibhav Arora removed Phillips, and then Shahrukh Khan hit the chase into the finish with two deliveries remaining, sealing the win.
Rahane on why Green didn’t bowl
Rahane explained that Green did not bowl during the match because of physical discomfort. “Green was struggling with his cramps; that’s the reason he was on and off the field today, and that’s the reason he didn’t bowl,” he said after the game.
What comes next
- KKR return home for a quick turnaround, facing Rajasthan Royals in the afternoon fixture at Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 19.
- Gujarat Titans get a short break and will stay at home next, taking on Mumbai Indians on April 20.
