Kolkata: Skipper Shubman Gill’s fluent 85 was not enough to extend Gujarat Titans’ winning run as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a 29-run victory to halt their opponents’ five-match unbeaten streak and keep their own playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
Gill's fighting knock came after Finn Allen’s blistering 93 set the tone for KKR before Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s career-best 82 not out and Cameron Green’s unbeaten 52 powered the hosts to 247/2, and were also aided by GT’s poor fielding display. GT’s chase was built around Gill’s stroke-filled 85 off 49 balls, laced with five fours and seven sixes.
Jos Buttler also chipped in with 57 off 35 balls, but the dismissal of both batters in quick succession left the chase adrift. Sai Sudharsan returned from a blow to the elbow to compile a fighting 53 not out off 28 balls. Yet GT ended up at 218/4, undone by KKR’s disciplined death bowling and a tight spell of 2-29 from Sunil Narine.
Earlier, powered by Finn Allen’s blistering 93, Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s composed 82 not out, and Cameron Green’s unbeaten rapid half-century, Kolkata Knight Riders posted a mammoth 247/2 in their 20 overs.
Allen played an absolute blinder - dropped twice on 14 and 33, the New Zealander made GT pay dearly, by hitting four boundaries and ten sixes at a strike-rate of 265.71. The Titans did themselves no favours with sloppy catching and ragged fielding that only added to the carnage unleashed by KKR.
Once Allen departed as GT halted the 95-run stand for the second wicket, Raghuvanshi took charge by hitting 82 not out off 44 balls, his highest score in the league, studded with four boundaries and seven sixes.
Green provided solid support by sharing an unbroken 108-run stand with Raghuvanshi for the third wicket and helping himself to 52 not out off 28 balls, laced with three fours and four maximums as the runs continued to flow unchecked for KKR.
Sent in to bat first, KKR were off to a brisk start as Ajinkya Rahane cleared third man for six. But it was Allen who seized control of the innings, launching into Kagiso Rabada with successive towering sixes after taking two fours off Siraj and racing past 30 inside the powerplay. Rahane’s dismissal for 14 to Siraj did little to halt the momentum as Raghuvanshi joined Allen to stitch a fluent partnership. After being given two reprieves, Allen was in imperious touch, punishing Rashid Khan with back-to-back sixes and raising a 21-ball half-century.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 247/2 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 93, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 82 not out; R Sai Kishore 1-38, Mohammed Siraj 1-50) beat Gujarat Titans 218/4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 85, Jos Buttler 57; Sunil Narine 2-29, Saurabh Dubey 1-23). IANS
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