Gujarat Titans’ run in the second half of the Indian Premier League season was brought to a screeching halt by eighth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. GT, who played at the Eden Gardens, lost their first game in six matches, slightly hampering their play-off chances.
The catching virus took its toll on the GT side, who allowed KKR to romp for a total of 248 runs thanks to Finn Allen’s exceptional burst in the first half of the innings. Allen played a furious knock of 93 off just 35 balls, setting up KKR’s charge perfectly.
KKR vs GT, IPL 2026: Highlights | Scorecard
Gujarat squandered four chances on the day, including two from Allen, who looked commanding throughout his innings. If that wasn’t enough, Gujarat squandered two more direct chances from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green, two batsmen who added 108 runs in just 52 balls.
Youngster Angkrish, who took on the additional responsibility of wicket-keeping to give KKR more flexibility in their line-up, played the best IPL innings of his career as he smashed 82 runs off just 44 balls.
The right-hander played second fiddle to Allen in the first half of his innings before easing off 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 to keep KKR alive in the play-off race.
Having given up 247 runs, GT knew they were still in the game given Kolkata’s history of favoring chasing teams. To their credit, they started strongly, with Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill adding 42 runs in the first four overs.
Bad luck played its part as a short delivery from Kartik Tyagi forced a rampaging Sudharsan to depart hurt. Batting on 23 off 13 balls, Sudharsan was hit from behind on the left elbow and left immediately in visible pain.
Kolkata took full advantage of this break in tempo and slipped through Sunil Narine during the power play. Bowling the inexperienced Nishant Sindhu, Narine stopped GT’s run rate and picked up the wicket while conceding just one run in the over.
Former KKR player Shubman Gill, well-acquainted with the conditions at the Eden Gardens, gave the chase at his best. Gill opted to attack Narine and looked to secure at least one boundary to keep GT in the contest.
Gill was largely successful, racing to 85 from just 49 balls. But with the required pace rising rapidly, he attempted one shot too many and picked Anukul Roy at deep square leg while trying to sweep Narine in the 17th over.
Standing close to the boundary line, Anukul squared up brilliantly before taking a fine catch to end the GT skipper’s innings.
Catching ultimately proved to be the biggest difference between the two teams. While Gujarat spilled a few chances, KKR held on to difficult opportunities and backed up their batting efforts with sharp innings.
In the end, GT’s mistakes piled up in the first innings as they were restricted to 218 and finished 30 runs short of the target.
FINN ALLEN RUNS 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 who stole the show. Allen, who had already hit a century against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final earlier this year, again displayed his extraordinary ability to strike with the ball on Saturday.
When KKR came into bat, they knew that the first six overs would not be easy. With overnight showers keeping the pitch under cover, captain Ajinkya Rahane expressed concern about batting first on the unsightly surface.
In the first three overs, those fears seemed justified. Both Rahane and Allen struggled to cleanly center the ball as the pitch refused to settle.
The breakthrough came in the fourth over when Allen smashed Kagiso Rabada for back-to-back sixes. There was no looking back from there.
Allen hit 10 massive sixes in his innings along with four boundaries. Supported by Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green later in the innings, KKR amassed a mammoth total of 247 runs, which was always going to be difficult to chase down against a quality bowling attack.
PATHIRANA COMES BACK FROM INJURY, GETS INJURED AGAIN
However, things turned slightly dicey for KKR when star pacer Matheesha Pathirana limped off the field clutching his calf after just eight deliveries.
With one of their premiership fast bowlers out, KKR had no choice but to complete Kartik Tyagi’s Overs quota despite conceding 59 runs.
Varun Chakravarthy, who was also returning from injury, also struggled and gave away 47 runs in his four overs. But in a high-scoring encounter, Sunil Narine’s two crucial overs, the fifth and the seventeenth, proved decisive for Kolkata.
The win keeps KKR mathematically alive in the playoff race. They can still reach 15 points, which doesn’t 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 phase of the league stage.
The task, at least on paper, seems manageable given that CSK will be without Jamie Overton, one of their standout performers this season.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
May 17, 2026 0:47 AM IST
