Ahmedabad, April 18 (NationPress) Captain Shubman Gill showcased his exceptional form once again at the Narendra Modi Stadium, scoring a remarkable 86 runs to lead the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a convincing five-wicket triumph against the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday.

Gill's impressive innings, comprised of eight boundaries and four sixes off just 50 balls at a strike rate of 172, ensured that GT maintained control throughout the chase, marking KKR's fifth loss of the season, which leaves them languishing at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Despite KKR's efforts to stay competitive, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan managed to keep their composure to finish the chase with two balls left, securing GT's third consecutive victory and advancing them to fourth place in the standings.

Three-time champions KKR will regret the absence of strong support from their batting lineup, which relied heavily on Cameron Green, who finally delivered a stellar performance with a commendable 79 runs off 55 balls. However, their innings ended at 180, falling short of a projected 200 runs.

Despite Green's solid knock, characterized by seven boundaries and four sixes, KKR witnessed a dramatic collapse, losing their last six wickets for a mere 33 runs towards the end of their innings. Kagiso Rabada was the standout bowler for GT, achieving figures of 3-33, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna played crucial roles in restricting the KKR batters, although Ashok Sharma and Rashid Khan struggled with their economy.

After being put in to bowl first by KKR, Siraj made an immediate impact by dismissing skipper Ajinkya Rahane for a golden duck in the first over. Rabada followed suit in the second over, sending Angkrish Raghuvanshi back to the pavilion. KKR found themselves in trouble at 32/3 after just four overs when Tim Seifert fell for 12.

KKR's recovery was initially led by Rovman Powell, who contributed a quick 27 runs off 20 balls, including two towering sixes, putting the pressure back on the GT bowlers. His partnership with Green, worth 55 runs, helped stabilize the innings until Ashok Sharma's slower ball deceived Powell.

Green, who had been struggling at 27 off 29 balls, suddenly found his rhythm in the 12th over, hitting Rashid for a six and a four. He particularly excelled against the spinners, accumulating 33 runs off just 18 balls against them. His 60-run partnership with Anukul Roy propelled KKR from 87/4 to 139/4 within three overs.

However, the dismissal of Roy (9) by Prasidh Krishna in the 15th over sparked a dramatic collapse. Rinku Singh continued his disappointing run, falling to Rabada, while Ramandeep Singh (17) was dismissed shortly after a brief boundary spree.

In a strange final phase, Green, who had reached 75 off 44 balls, became a mere spectator as wickets fell rapidly, facing only two deliveries during that tumultuous period. He managed just four runs off his last 11 balls before being caught behind off the final ball of the innings, concluding a bizarre outing for KKR.

Chasing a target of 181, Gill was in sublime form right from the start, delivering an impressive display of high-elbow drives, short-arm jabs, and exquisite flicks. He found an able partner in B Sai Sudharsan (22), who struck two magnificent sixes off Anukul Roy, helping GT reach 50 runs in just 4.2 overs.

Though Sunil Narine broke the 71-run opening partnership by dismissing Sudharsan, who top-edged to short fine leg, Jos Buttler contributed 25 runs off 15 balls to keep the momentum alive before falling to a googly from Varun Chakaravarthy, who claimed his first wicket of IPL 2026.

Despite Washington Sundar falling to Chakaravarthy, Gill reached his half-century off just 27 balls and continued to pile on the runs. He appeared on track for a century until a brilliant catch by Cameron Green ended his innings. Gill's dismissal led to a slight wobble as KKR's bowlers tightened the grip on the match.

With five runs required in the final over, Ramandeep Singh dismissed Glenn Phillips (19) with the first ball, igniting a flicker of hope for KKR. However, Tewatia and impact substitute Shahrukh maintained their composure to secure the victory for GT.

Scores Summary:

Kolkata Knight Riders: 180 all out in 20 overs (Cameron Green 79, Rovman Powell 27; Kagiso Rabada 3-29, Mohammed Siraj 2-23) lost to Gujarat Titans: 181/5 in 19.4 overs (Shubman Gill 86, Jos Buttler 25; Varun Chakaravarthy 2-34, Ramandeep Singh 1-5) by five wickets