Kolkata Knight Riders, still without a win, have made a notable adjustment to their batting unit for IPL 2026 by reshaping their top order ahead of their clash with Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. After the toss, KKR elected to bat, hoping the change will unlock more freedom for a struggling lineup, while GT captain Shubman Gill weighed up how conditions could influence the contest.
Toss result and captain’s thinking
- Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bat against Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad.
- KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said batting first would allow his side to play with less pressure—specifically, without the burden of chasing a set target.
- GT captain Shubman Gill suggested he would have bowled regardless of the outcome, and felt dew has not been a decisive factor in Ahmedabad so far this season.
- Gill, however, acknowledged dew could become more relevant in this match and beyond, with daytime temperatures continuing to climb.
KKR’s top-order change and playing XI details
KKR made a clear statement with their selection. They left out Finn Allen, who could have offered a high-upside option at the top, and instead brought in New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert.
- Seifert is expected to handle the gloves, taking over wicketkeeping duties from Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
- Varun Chakravarthy is viewed as the most likely Impact Player choice for KKR when they switch to bowling.
Kolkata Knight Riders XI
- 1 Tim Seifert (wk)
- 2 Sunil Narine
- 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt)
- 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- 5 Cameron Green
- 6 Rinku Singh
- 7 Ramandeep Singh
- 8 Rovman Powell
- 9 Anukul Roy
- 10 Vaibhav Arora
- 11 Kartik Tyagi
KKR Impact Player options
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Manish Pandey
- Finn Allen
- Tejasvi Dahiya
- Navdeep Saini
GT team news, unchanged approach, and Impact plans
Gujarat Titans kept faith with their current balance. They were not changed from the XI that delivered a win over Lucknow Super Giants, and they are likely to use the Impact Player mechanism to fine-tune their chase.
- GT are unchanged from their win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
- M Shahrukh Khan is expected to come off the Impact bench for their chase.
Gujarat Titans XI
- 1 Shubman Gill (capt)
- 2 B Sai Sudharsan
- 3 Jos Buttler (wk)
- 4 Washington Sundar
- 5 Glenn Phillips
- 6 Rahul Tewatia
- 7 Rashid Khan
- 8 Kagiso Rabada
- 9 Ashok Sharma
- 10 Prasidh Krishna
- 11 Mohammed Siraj
GT Impact Player options
- Jason Holder
- M Shahrukh Khan
- Manav Suthar
- Kulwant Khejroliya
- Anuj Rawat
