KKR Struggle Continues in IPL 2026 as GT Register Third Consecutive Victory
Shah Rukh Khan finished the match calmly against Kolkata Knight Riders and helped Gujarat Titans win by five wickets in Ahmedabad. KKR are still struggling at the bottom of the table with five losses. GT are in great form with three wins in a row. When Shubman Gill was firing on all cylinders, it was looking like the game would be done and dusted much earlier, but the hosts tried to play it safe after his dismissal, bringing some life back into the contest. However, KKR didn't have enough runs on the board in the end.
Earlier in the evening, the Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bat first, looking for some new challenge in a season where nothing has gone their way so far. Ajinkya Rahane played a reckless shot on the very first ball he faced, and it led to KKR's downfall. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada bowled a sensational new-ball spell, reducing KKR to 3/32 inside the powerplay. Tim Seifert replaced Finn Allen and looked good for a while, but couldn't get past 20. Cameron Green and Rovman Powell led KKR's recovery with a 55-run partnership, with them taking the attack to Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma and Rashid Khan.
The former was struggling early on but got into rhythm once he took down Rashid. Powell fell after getting a start, but Green started to fire, adding another crucial 50-plus stand with Anukul Roy, who was a mere spectator in the partnership. All of a sudden, KKR's middle and lower order fell like a pack of cards, with Green running out of partners at the other end. Green stood tall, weathering the storm with his first fifty of the season and was dismissed on the last ball of the innings, hitting 79 off 55.
Shah Rukh Khan guides Gujarat Titans to a calm win as Kolkata Knight Riders continue to struggle
KKR were bundled out for 180. KG Rabada starred with the ball, picking up 3/29. Siraj finished with 2/23. Ashok took two wickets, but he was expensive. A wicket each for Prasidh and Rashid, with the latter leaking runs. Shubman Gill killed the run chase in the powerplay with some cracking shots. Most of them pinged off his blade, and GT raced away to 57 in just 5 overs before Sunil Narine broke the opening stand, dismissing Sai Sudharsan, who got another start but failed to convert it into a big one. Gill kept hitting and slammed his third successive fifty in the tournament, scoring 86 off just 50 balls. He had a couple of good partnerships with Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar, who both got a start but fell to Varun Chakaravarthy, who finally got amongst the wickets.
GT were cruising until Gill was going solid in the middle. KKR's pacers and Anukul Roy failed to follow up the good work from Sunil Narine (1/28) and Chakaravarthy (2/34), but the GT skipper was dismissed by Vaibhav Arora in the 17th over when GT needed just 23 off 18 balls. Glenn Phillips and Rahul Tewatia were kept in check by Arora again in the 19th over after the duo scored 12 off Kartik Tyagi in the 18th over. Arora finished with 1/35, leaving 5 to defend in the last over, where Rahane opted to go with Ramandeep Singh, who bowled the first ball wide and dismissed GP on the next ball. Shahrukh Khan and Tewatia milked the runs and eventually sealed the contest on the 4th ball.
