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Shubman Gill continued his love-affair with Ahmedabad, registering his 10th fifty-plus score in 27 T20 innings at the venue to power Gujarat Titans to the fourth spot on the points table with a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR finished with 180, thanks to Cameron Green finally hitting his straps, but that proved insufficient as the Titans chased it down in the final over, making it a lot closer than it was supposed to be, leaving the Knight Riders winless after six outings.
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@B2$Kolkata Knight Riders 180 in 20 overs [Cameron Green 79 (55), Rovman Powell 27 (20); Kagiso Rabada 3-29, Mohammed Siraj 2-23] lost to Gujarat Titans 181/5 in 19.4 overs [Shubman Gill 86 (50), Jos Buttler 25 (15); Varun Chakaravarthy 2-34] by 5 wickets.
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A big score for Shubman Gill in Ahmedabad is almost a given every time he comes out to bat here, what with four hundreds and five half-centuries before this game in T20s at this venue. He added to the tally with his sixth half-century to guide the Titans in the chase. Although he wasn't there till the end to complete the job, his contribution set the path for GT to get over the line despite losing a few wickets.
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The last time Kagiso Rabada picked up two wickets inside the Powerplay was against RCB in 2024, marking only his third such instance. Against a struggling KKR outfit, he added a fourth to the list. Mohammed Siraj began the early dismantling of KKR, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for a duck - a first time in his IPL career since 2020 for the KKR captain. Angkrish Raghuvanshi poked one outside off to get an edge, while Tim Seifert - Finn Allen's replacement - cut one straight to point, giving Rabada a couple of wickets. Cameron Green managed to reverse a caught behind decision but the GT bowlers had set the tone by restricting KKR to 37/3 in the Powerplay. Three wickets in the Powerplay in this game extended KKR's tally to 12 this season, the most for any team, with CSK's 10 putting them second.
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Even as Green struggled to get going, scoring at less than a run-a-ball, Rovman Powell gave some much-needed impetus to KKR's innings. He dispatched a Prasidh Krishna delivery over the long-on fence, followed by a six and a four off Ashok Sharma. He also struck a four off Rashid Khan, as did Green, taking KKR to 80 for 3 after 10 overs.
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Yes, it's a no-ball if it is wide and doesn't pitch on the pitch. This is what Ashok did when he tried to bowl a slower ball to Green in the 11th over. Thankfully for the bowler, it didn't cost much as the free-hit was a dot with Green attempting a pull and missing the ball. And soon enough, he got a slower delivery right, resulting in Powell's dismissal.
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He was on 27 off 28 at the halfway stage, but there was a transformation from Green in the overs to follow. A six and a four off Rashid was followed by two sixes off Ashok as Green brought up a 34-ball fifty. He also struck another six off Rashid, edged one for a four and then was put down by Washington Sundar as the ball went to the boundary. Green struck a total of fours and sixes, but wickets fell around him as KKR collapsed trying to maximise the remaining overs - from 147/4 in the 15th over, they slipped to 173/9 in the 19th. Green, however, struggled in the last two overs, scoring only 3 off the nine balls he faced, and got out on the last ball to Rashid.
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A lovely straight drive off Kartik Tyagi was one of several exquisite shots played by Gill, who set the tempo for the chase with regular boundaries, and even a six off Anukul Roy. Sai Sudharsan was not to be left behind, hitting two sixes off the left-arm spinner. Both batters continued to make merry, as has been the case so often in Ahmedabad, taking GT past fifty inside five overs. Narine ended Sudharsan's stay in the sixth over but Jos Buttler was in a punishing mood, striking two fours and a six in the same over to take GT past 70 at the end of the Powerplay.
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Varun Chakaravarthy has had the better of Buttler several times in the past and he added another dismissal of the former England captain to his tally, extending it to seven in 11 T20 outings. But the wicket did little to affect GT's progress, with Gill continuing to impress with his strokeplay, including a frontfoot pull for a six off Tyagi. Sundar was giving the GT captain good support, until he decided to play a pull of Varun and handed a catch in the deep. Gill, meanwhile, entered the 80s, with the equation coming down to 32 off the last four overs.
And then came a breathtaking effort - Green pulled off a blinder diving from deep backward point to send back Gill, opening a small avenue for KKR. But Phillips effectively shut that door with two fours off Tyagi in the 18th over, although it did come to the last over with 5 needed for GT. Vaibhav Arora managed to dismiss Phillips before Shahrukh Khan took a couple to complete the win with two deliveries remaining.
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He didn't bowl today. Reason: "Green was struggling with his cramps; that's the reason he was on and off the field today, and that's the reason he didn't bowl," said Rahane after the match.
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KKR have a short turnaround as they head home to face Rajasthan Royals in the afternoon game at Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 19). GT have a break for a couple days and will remain at home to take on Mumbai Indians next on April 20.
