Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were forced to hit Finn Allen hard in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. Bought at a bargain price ₹2 crore during the IPL 2026 auction, Allen failed to replicate the form the New Zealander had in the T20 World Cup 2026 and the Big Bash League (BBL).
They have lost four of their five matches so far. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane hinted at some changes in the combination after their previous loss against Chennai Super Kings. As expected, the ax fell on Allen. “Tim Seifert comes in for Finn Allen,” Rahane said at the coin toss.
The three-time IPL champions went to Allen after a successful BBL campaign in New Zealand, where he finished as the top scorer, scoring 466 runs in 11 matches for the Perth Scorchers in the 2025-26 season. Allen and Seifert added more runs as a pair in the T20 World Cup 2026.
In fact, Allen was preferred over Seifert in KKR’s first five matches, following his 33-ball hundred in the World T20 2026 semi-final against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, the right-hander was a big flop in IPL 2026. In five matches, Allen’s scores were 37, 25, 6, 9, 1.
Before Friday, Seifert had played just three matches in the IPL – one for KKR in 2021 and two for Delhi Capitals in 2022. KKR have so far lost against Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings. Their match against Punjab Kings was a lackluster one in Kolkata.
What did Ajinkya say to Rahane during coin toss?
Asked about the team environment in the midst of their winless streak, Rahane said the players are desperate to turn it around. “We just want to turn around the kind of tournament we’ve had so far. I thought batting first was a good choice. The thing is, if you do well, people will say good things about you. If you don’t, then they’ll criticize you.”
“It’s an integral part of any sportsperson’s life. It’s about staying confident as a team, supporting each other in tough times, that’s what matters. We always talk about character in the team and I think we have really good characters. We just want to focus on our strengths, play good cricket. T20 is all about momentum, winning small moments. Today we want to play cricket and stay fearless.”
GT vs KKR playing XI
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ashok Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
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