Captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan spelt their class by scoring excellent half-centuries as table-topper Gujarat Titans outplayed defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders by 39 runs to record its sixth victory of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday.
The right-left opening pair’s century stand helped GT accumulate 198 after being put in to bat. KKR managed just 159 for eight to taste its second successive defeat, and third in four home matches, in front of a packed house.
With Vaibhav Arora and Moeen Ali sharing the new ball, KKR did not let GT gain much ground early.
With the ball stopping a bit, Gill and Sudharsan, adopting a risk-free approach, rotated the strike and only punished the bowlers when they erred to gather 45 in the first six overs.
Gill (90, 55b, 10×4, 3×6) asserted his class in the seventh over, plundering 17 runs, including a six and two fours consecutively, off Moeen to signal GT’s acceleration.
AS IT HAPPENED – KKR vs GT
At his former home ground, Gill, who took 12 balls to score his first boundary, was a treat to watch when he played his cuts and pulls.
An in-form Sudharsan (52, 36b, 6×4, 1×6) showed his range, finding gaps spectacularly, on the off-side before displaying fine hits on the onside.
Notwithstanding the humid conditions, the GT openers ran hard to frustrate the host in a 75-ball 114-run partnership.
Andre Russell broke the stand by having Orange Cap holder Sudharsan, who scored his fifth fifty of the season, caught behind.
Gill then gathered 58 off 33 balls along with a clean-hitting Jos Buttler (41, 23b, 8×4), before being dismissed by Vaibhav close to his century.
KKR’s reply was not ideal. Mohammed Siraj trapped wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw and Rashid Khan, following his long nets session overnight, removed Sunil Narine in the PowerPlay.
With GT bowlers keeping it tight and fielders showing commitment to stop boundaries for 36 deliveries in the middle overs, the required rate piled up.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s lone battle, and a deserving half-century, was in vain as KKR suffered its fifth loss.
Claiming two wickets apiece, Rashid and Prasidh Krishna shone for GT.
