Shubman Gill in Ahmedabad is no longer a solid record. It’s almost a condition you have to account for before the game even begins. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) found that out the hard way.
After KKR somehow went on to post180, on the back of Cameron Green’s fifty, they were dragged out of the game early and never quite found their way back. The Gujarat Titans (GT) chased it down with five wickets in hand even though they made a mess of the chase by the end. They should’ve won it by the 18th over but the hosts won it with just two balls in hand.
How powerplay dictated GT vs KKR clash
If you strip this game down to its core, it was decided in the first six overs of both innings. KKR chose to bat, backing the venue trend. But that decision comes with a clause in Ahmedabad. If you bat first, you need to go beyond par, not just reach it. And they never got close to that trajectory.
Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, who had combined for just three powerplay wickets across four games before this, suddenly found rhythm. They didn’t try anything out of ordinary. Just held their lengths outside off, forced batters to play, and let the surface do a bit of work.
Result: 37 for 3 in the Powerplay for KKR.
Ajinkya Rahane went for a duck, Angkrish Raghuvanshi for right, Tim Seifert, who replaced Finn Allen mistimed one. That early dent forced KKR into recovery mode immediately, which they did due to Green. Gujarat, in contrast, blew the game open in their Powerplay. 71 for 1. A scoring rate of 11.83.
Shubman Gill was in complete control and Sai Sudharsan matched him shot for shot early on. The difference between 37/3 and 71/1 is not just runs, it’s access to the game. GT had it. KKR lost it.
Middle overs: Green fights, but structure still behind
Cameron Green’s innings is the reason this didn’t end up as a one-sided game. At one stage, he was 27 off 28. KKR were going nowhere. Then came the shift. He targeted Rashid Khan, took on Ashok Sharma, and turned it into a 34-ball fifty. Eventually finishing with 79 off 55, he dragged KKR to 180 from a position where 160 looked more realistic.
Alongside him, Rovman Powell provided a short burst, and KKR managed 111 runs in the middle overs at 12.33 per over. But here’s where the structure matters. Those runs came after the damage was already done. They were playing catch-up, not dictating terms.
GT’s middle overs were quieter in comparison. They scored 73/2 at 8.11. But because of that Powerplay cushion, they never needed to force anything.
GT vs KKR: Phase breakdown
| Phase | KKR | GT | Run-rate (KKR – GT) | 4s/6s (KKR – GT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerplay | 37/3 | 71/1 | 6.16 – 11.83 | 4/1 – 7/5 |
| Middle overs | 111/2 | 73/2 | 12.33 – 8.11 | 10/6 – 4/3 |
| Death overs | 32/5 | 37/2 | 6.40 – 7.92 | 2/2 – 3/0 |
Acceleration vs collapse: KKR lose grip again
KKR had a platform at 147 for 4 in the 15th over. From there, they needed a clean finish. They could’ve made 210, if Rinku Singh clicked and Ramandeep Singh helped Green. Instead, they slipped to 173 for 9 in the 19th.
That collapse, five wickets for 26 runs, effectively capped their total. Green himself slowed down at the end, scoring just 3 runs off his last nine balls before getting out on the final delivery.
GT, on the other hand, managed their chase without panic. Even when Gill fell for 86 off 50, there was enough buffer. Jos Buttler’s quick 25 and Glenn Phillips’ boundaries in the 18th over ensured the game didn’t drift too far. Even though it went into the final over, the equation never out of GT’s hand.
Points Table after GT vs KKR
| Team | P | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBKS | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | +1.067 |
| RCB | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | +1.503 |
| RR | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | +0.889 |
| GT | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | +0.018 |
| SRH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | +0.576 |
| DC | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +0.322 |
| LSG | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -0.804 |
| CSK | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -0.846 |
| MI | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | -1.076 |
| KKR | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | -1.149 |
Next IPL 2026 matches (April 18)
| Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|
| RCB vs DC | Bengaluru | 3:30 PM |
| SRH vs CSK | Hyderabad | 7:30 PM |
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