Riding on half-centuries by Finn Allen (93), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (82 not out), and Cameron Green (52 not out), Kolkata Knight Riders stunned a higher-placed Gujarat Titans by 29 runs in a high-scoring IPL contest at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.
After logging its highest total of the season (247), with some assistance from the visiting fielders’ largesse, KKR restricted GT to 218 for four to stay alive for the play-offs.
Allen took his time to understand the conditions – as the ball held a bit in humid conditions – before unleashing his strokes. Using his timing and fast hands, predominantly on the onside, he cashed in on two lives, on 14 and 33, to hammer all GT bowlers irrespective of their reputation.
Sai Kishore had Allen, who added 44 with Rahane and 95 with Raghuvanshi, caught at deep midwicket.
Raghuvanshi, enjoying a lucky DRS call early on, played some superb shots – including a brave scooped six off Rabada, some lovely drives and reverse hits. He displayed his awareness and temperament to get his fifth half-century of the season.
Raghuvanshi, who had a reprieve on 52 off Rabada and later clubbed 25 off Siraj’s penultimate over, and Cameron Green, who was let off by Arshad on 23 off Rashid but impressed with his pulled hits to the boundary, formed an unbeaten 108-run stand off 53 balls.
During GT’s chase, Sunil Narine dismissed Nishant Sindhu, as KKR, despite losing Matheesha Pathirana to a hamstring issue, applied brakes in the first six.
GT skipper Shubman Gill (85) spelled his class as he plundered sixes and found the gaps well between cover and mid-wicket to score his fifth fifty.
Excelling on either side, Jos Buttler supported Gill as the duo collected 128 runs.
A limping Varun Chakaravarthy, nursing a foot injury, bowled well until Gill gathered 22 runs off his final over, and GT’s 14th, to accelerate.
The wily and stingy Narine scalped Gill in the 17th over to put GT back under pressure.
Sai Sudharsan (52 no), who was retired hurt in the third over, joined Buttler (57) but could not achieve the target as GT’s wait for a play-offs berth lingered on.
Published on May 16, 2026
