Kolkata, Apr 21 (UNI) Gujarat Titans (GT) produced a clinical all-round display to register a 39-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL clash at Eden Gardens here on Monday night.
After posting a formidable 198 for 3 on the back of a commanding 90 from captain Shubman Gill, Gujarat bowling unit maintained a stranglehold on the KKR chase, restricting them to 159 for 8 in 20 overs, despite a late blitz from young Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
KKR's chase faltered early, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz falling lbw to Mohammed Siraj for just 1 (0.5). Sunil Narine briefly counterattacked with 17 off 13, hitting Ishant Sharma and Siraj for boundaries and a towering six, but perished trying to pull Rashid Khan straight to square leg (5.3). The home side continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, never finding sustained momentum.
Ajinkya Rahane, leading the side, played a composed hand with a 36-ball 50, punctuated by fluent strokes, including a lofted back-foot drive off Washington Sundar (10.1) and a clean slog-swept six over midwicket (10.5). However, his innings ended in dramatic fashion, stumped by Jos Buttler after a clever wide delivery from Sundar (12.4).
Andre Russell ignited brief hopes with a belligerent 21 off 15 balls, dispatching Sundar for a six and four (12.5, 13.0) and muscling boundaries off Prasidh Krishna (14.5) and Rashid Khan (15.3). But the mercurial all-rounder succumbed to Rashid's guile, beaten by a googly and stumped by Buttler (15.5).
From 91 for 4 at one stage, Kolkata collapsed further. Prasidh Krishna turned the screws with two key breakthroughs in the 16th over – removing Ramandeep Singh (caught and bowled, 16.1) and Moeen Ali (caught at long-on, 16.3) in the space of three balls.
Even as the match slipped away, 18-year-old Raghuvanshi showcased his potential. Batting at No. 9, he carved out an eye-catching cameo of 27 not out off 13 balls. He struck four crisp boundaries, including one off Prasidh (16.4), a sweep off Rashid (17.1), and a carved cut off Siraj (18.2), before finishing with a stunning sweep for six over fine leg off Ishant (19.4) – a shot that drew applause even from the GT fielders.
But the wickets kept tumbling around him. Rinku Singh (17 off 14) attempted to resist but fell in the 19th over, top-edging a slower ball from Ishant to Gill at cover (19.1), sealing KKR’s fate.
Earlier, GT’s innings revolved around a masterful knock from Gill, who hammered 90 off 55 balls with 10 boundaries and three sixes. His 114-run stand with Sai Sudharsan (52 off 36) set the tone for a dominant total. Jos Buttler added the finishing touches with a 22-ball 41*, while Shahrukh Khan provided the final flourish with a six off Vaibhav Arora.
GT’s bowlers then delivered with precision, Rashid Khan (2/25), Prasidh Krishna (2/25), and Washington Sundar (2/36) leading the effort as Gujarat climbed the points table with a convincing win.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 198/3 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 90, Sai Sudharsan 52, Jos Buttler 41*; Vaibhav Arora 1/44) beat
Kolkata Knight Riders 159/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 50, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 27*; Rashid Khan 2/25, Prasidh Krishna 2/25) by 39 runs.
UNI BDN SS