Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) put on a show and notched a handsome 29-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) to keep themselves afloat in the IPL 2026 playoff contention. With this win KKR ended GT's five-match winning streak in the ongoing season.
KKR snaps GT's winning run
Riding on Finn Allen's 35-ball 93 and Angkrish Raghuvanshi's 44-ball 82 KKR posted a colossal total of 247/5. In reply, GT did close in on the finishing line but fell 29-run short in the end despite Shubman Gill's 49-ball 85.
Talking about GT's chase, skipper Shubman Gill led from the front, smashing a brilliant 85 runs off just 49 balls, a knock laced with 5 fours and 7 towering sixes. He and his opening partner, B. Sai Sudharsan, provided a flying start by adding 42 runs to the total before Sudharsan was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the arm. Following the injury, Nishant Sindhu was promoted up the batting order but failed to open his account. His early departure, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise as it brought Jos Buttler to the crease to join forces with Gill.
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Gill-Buttler's exploits in vain
Buttler played a stellar supporting role, anchoring the chase with a well-made 57 off 35 balls, including 5 fours and 2 sixes. The two senior batsmen kept the Titans firmly in the contest with a spectacular 128-run partnership for the third wicket. However, Gill's untimely dismissal allowed the Kolkata Knight Riders to claw their way back and apply immense pressure on the chasing side. Although a resilient Sudharsan returned to the field to brave through the injury, the mounting asking run rate ultimately proved too steep to overcome.
Sudharsan remained unbeaten until the very end, anchoring the remainder of the innings to finish with a valiant 53 off 28 deliveries, hitting 6 fours and 3 sixes. KKR's bowling effort was spearheaded by the veteran Sunil Narine, who celebrated his landmark 200th match for the franchise by turning in a decisive spell, claiming two wickets while conceding a mere 29 runs from his four overs. Seamers Saurabh Dubey and Cameron Green also chipped in with a crucial wicket apiece to stall GT's momentum.
KKR's playoff hopes resurrected
With this vital victory—their fifth of the season—KKR has climbed to the seventh spot on the points table with 11 points, a tally that includes points from a previously washed-out fixture against the Punjab Kings. Despite the defeat, the Gujarat Titans remain comfortably entrenched in the second position, holding onto 16 points from 13 games as the tournament heads toward its business end.
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Finn Allen-Angrish Raghuvanshi shine bright for KKR
Earlier in the match, Finn Allen unleashed a stunning, 35-ball 93 to capitalize on GT's incredibly sloppy fielding display. The explosive New Zealand opener made GT pay dearly for dropping him early in his innings when he was on 14 and 33, punishing the bowlers by smashing 10 sixes and 4 fours in a breathtaking assault where 86 of his runs came strictly in boundaries. Thanks to his fireworks, Kolkata Knight Riders piled up their highest score of the season, finishing at a massive 247 for 2.
While Allen completely ripped apart the bowling attack in the first half of the innings, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green perfectly maintained the momentum. The duo put together an unbeaten 108-run partnership off just 53 balls for the third wicket, with Raghuvanshi anchoring the back end with an unbeaten 82, and Green powering his way to an undefeated 52.
GT's fielders endured a nightmare outing, dropping as many as four catches throughout the innings, with all three of KKR’s half-centurions earning life lines. Raghuvanshi was given a reprieve on 52 by Washington Sundar, while Green was put down on 23 by Arshad Khan off the bowling of Rashid Khan.
Having been asked to bat first by GT skipper Shubman Gill on a sticky surface that had remained under covers due to rain, KKR’s batters completely dominated. Gujarat’s disciplined attack struggled heavily as the poor catching compounded their problems. Allen set a relentless tone at the top, guiding the home side to the 100-run mark in just nine overs, before the Green-Raghuvanshi combination took over to bludgeon another 100 runs in just eight overs for this must-win match.
Allen's eventful knock began with a survival on 14, when the tall Jason Holder could only get his fingertips to a sharp, difficult chance at cover off Mohammed Siraj. Reinvigorated, the Kiwi opener immediately tore into Kagiso Rabada, launching successive sixes—one straight over mid-off and another whipped over midwicket off a 149 km/h delivery—to race to 28 runs from just 11 balls.
While Allen dominated from one end, his opening partner Ajinkya Rahane never quite looked settled. Rahane labored to a scratchy 14 off 14 balls before Siraj eventually cleaned him up. Rahane's departure caused a brief slowdown inside the powerplay, during which Allen was handed his second life when Holder induced a mishit, only for Siraj to uncharacteristically spill a straightforward catch at long-on.
From that moment on, Allen went into absolute overdrive. He attacked both pace and spin with equal ease, picking lengths remarkably early and clearing the boundaries effortlessly. He welcomed Rashid Khan into the attack with two towering sixes and a four, storming to a spectacular 21-ball half-century.
At the other end, young Raghuvanshi played the supporting role to perfection. He used the bowlers' pace cleverly to keep the scoreboard ticking, highlighted by a sharp scoop over the wicketkeeper's head off Rabada to jumpstart his innings. Allen looked destined for his second IPL century of the season, but Rashid finally ended the carnage, safely pouching a well-judged catch at deep midwicket off the bowling of R. Sai Kishore.
However, Cameron Green ensured there was absolutely no let-up for the bowling side during the death overs. The Australian all-rounder quickly found his groove to tear into the GT attack with three massive sixes, while Raghuvanshi also stepped up the scoring rate to ensure KKR finished the innings with a monumental total on the board.