Gujarat Titans’ rampaging run in the second half of the Indian Premier League season was brought to a resounding halt by eighth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Playing at the Eden Gardens, GT lost their first game in six matches, slightly complicating their playoff chances.
The catching virus took its toll on the GT side, who let KKR romp to a total of 248 runs courtesy of Finn Allen’s exceptional burst in the first half of the innings. Allen played a rampaging knock of 93 off just 35 balls, perfectly setting up KKR’s charge.
KKR vs GT, IPL 2026: Highlights | Scorecard
Gujarat dropped four chances on the day, including two off Allen, who looked in imperious touch throughout his innings. If that was not enough, Gujarat fumbled two more straightforward chances of Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green, two batters who added 108 runs in just 52 balls.
Young Angkrish, who has taken on the added responsibility of wicketkeeping to give KKR more flexibility in their line-up, played the best IPL innings of his career, smashing 82 runs off just 44 balls.
The right-hander played second fiddle to Allen in the first half of his innings before cutting loose in the final overs to take the hosts to a massive total on a tricky pitch.
He was aided by Cameron Green, who remained unbeaten on 52 off 28 balls, keeping KKR alive in the playoffs race.
Having conceded 247 runs, GT knew they were still in the game given Kolkata’s history of favouring chasing teams. To their credit, they started strongly, with Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill adding 42 runs in the first four overs.
Ill luck played its part when a short delivery from Kartik Tyagi forced a rampaging Sudharsan to retire hurt. Batting on 23 off 13 balls, Sudharsan was struck on the back of his left elbow and immediately walked off in visible pain.
Kolkata made perfect use of that break in momentum, slipping in an over of Sunil Narine during the powerplay. Bowling to the inexperienced Nishant Sindhu, Narine halted GT’s run rate and picked up a wicket while conceding just one run in the over.
Former KKR player Shubman Gill, well versed with the conditions at Eden Gardens, gave the chase his best shot. Gill took it upon himself to attack Narine, trying to ensure at least one boundary every over to keep GT in the contest.
Gill was largely successful and raced to 85 off just 49 balls. But with the required rate climbing rapidly, he attempted one shot too many and picked out Anukul Roy at deep square leg while trying to slog sweep Narine in the 17th over.
Anukul, standing close to the boundary line, balanced himself brilliantly before completing a fine catch to end the GT captain’s innings.
Catching ultimately proved to be the biggest difference between the two teams. While Gujarat spilled multiple chances, KKR held onto difficult opportunities and backed up their batting effort with sharp fielding.
In the end, GT’s mistakes in the first innings piled up as they were restricted to 218, finishing 30 runs short of the target.
FINN ALLEN DRIVES KKR’S STRONG SHOW
While the second half of the match belonged to Sunil Narine’s exceptional spell of 4-0-29-2, it was Finn Allen and his love affair with Eden Gardens that stole the show. Having already struck a century against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final earlier this year, Allen once again showcased his extraordinary ball striking ability on Saturday.
When KKR came out to bat, they knew the first six overs would not be easy. With overnight showers keeping the pitch under covers, captain Ajinkya Rahane had expressed concerns about batting first on a tacky surface.
For the first three overs, those fears appeared justified. Both Rahane and Allen struggled to middle the ball cleanly as the pitch refused to settle.
The breakthrough came in the fourth over when Allen smashed Kagiso Rabada for back to back sixes. From there, there was no looking back.
Allen hit 10 massive sixes in his innings along with four boundaries. Supported by Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green later in the innings, KKR piled up a mammoth 247-run total that was always going to be difficult to chase against a quality bowling attack.
PATHIRANA RETURNS FROM INJURY, GETS INJURED AGAIN
However, things became slightly tricky for KKR when star pacer Matheesha Pathirana hobbled off the field holding his calf after bowling just eight deliveries.
With one of their premier fast bowlers out of the game, KKR had no option but to complete Kartik Tyagi’s quota of overs despite him conceding 59 runs.
Varun Chakravarthy, who was also returning from injury, struggled as well, giving away 47 runs in his four overs. But in a high scoring encounter, the two crucial overs from Sunil Narine, the fifth and the 17th, proved decisive for Kolkata.
The win keeps KKR mathematically alive in the race for the playoffs. They can still reach 15 points, which does not guarantee qualification but keeps them in contention.
On the other hand, GT now face a must-win clash against Chennai Super Kings in their final league stage game.
The task, at least on paper, appears manageable given CSK will be without Jamie Overton, one of their standout performers this season.
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