Gill scored 90, then bowlers wreaked havoc, expensive players took KKR down; Gujarat won by 39 runs
Table toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) put on an absolutely clinical display, and with their sixth victory of the year, they currently lead the table by a handful points. For the first time this season, KKR has failed to recover from a setback, and their dismal batting performance continues as they now suffer their fifth loss.
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Mohammed Siraj struck in the first over, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, giving the Titans a great start with the ball after they had scored over 200 runs. The spinners then greatly controlled the action after Rashid Khan removed Narine in the final over of the Powerplay.
Rashid took two wickets, Sai Kishore and Washington Sundar each took one, and Prasidh Krishna continued his incredible season with a few more wickets. GT had a great all-around performance because they were excellent on the field and didn't miss any catches.
Although KKR appears to have the longest batting lineup on paper, they have relied largely on captain Ajinkya Rahane, who once again proved himself with a half-century. And once more, he was disappointed by individuals near him.
Hard hitting batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz replaced Quinton de Kock in the playing 11, but he did nothing to help them; they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. One may argue that Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who in as the Impact substitute at number 9, should have entered at number 4 or 5, as he went uncontested at 27 off just 13 balls.
It didn't work out when KKR decided to send the hitters out early. The Gujarat Titans' top three hitters put up a lot of runs early in the game, displaying yet another masterpiece. Sai Sudharsan scored a magnificent half-century, Jos Buttler played a brilliant not out knock of 41 runs in just 23 balls, and skipper Shubman Gill was the pick of the batters with an amazing 90 run knock.
Rahane's team chose to bowl first, but they were unable to make the breakthrough quickly enough. Despite keeping the opposition under 200 runs, it was a significant score on this surface.