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Gujarat Titans defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in the 39th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League at the Eden Garnes in Kolkata on Saturday, April 29. With this victory, GT have moved to the top spot of the IPL 2023 points table with 12 points. Meanwhile, the two-time IPL champions are placed seventh on the ladder.
Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya opted to bowl after winning the toss. However, the match was delayed for 45 minutes due to rain interruption.
Knights posted a target of 180 runs in 20 overs, thanks to a fiery half-century by Rahmanullah Gurbaz. For Gujarat, Mohammed Shami produced a brilliant spell, claiming a three-wicket haul. Apart from the Indian pacer, Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad grabbed two wickets each.
The visitors got off to a solid start as they found a breakthrough in the third over with Shami dismissing opener Narayan Jagadeesan for just 19 runs. Shami struck again in the powerplay as he removed Shardul Thakur for a duck with Mohit Sharma taking a brilliant catch running backwards. However, Gurbaz continued his power-hitting as KKR finished at 61/2 in the powerplay.
In the 10th over, Gurbaz took a single off Little’s delivery and brought up his second half-century (50 off 27) in the ongoing season. The Irish bowler struck twice in the 11th over, dismissing Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana respectively. Rinku Singh joined Gurbaz, but Noor Ahmad came for the attack and provided GT with a massive breakthrough as he ended the Afghan batter’s stay for 81. Gurbaz scored 81 runs from just 39 deliveries – the highest individual score by an Afghan player in the IPL. His knock was studded with five boundaries and seven maximums.
After losing three wickets, GT relied on David Miller (32* off 18) and Vijay Shankar (51* off 24). As Shankar smashed a six off Nitish Rana’s delivery and brought up his fourth IPL half-century off just 24 balls, GT were almost close to winning the game. KKR bowlers failed to perform well with the ball as GT won the match by seven wickets and 13 balls to spare.
Earlier, the West Indies all-rounder Andre Russel, who featured in his 100th IPL match for KKR, also played a brilliant cameo as the hosts scored 179/7 in 20 overs. Russell played a quickfire knock of 34 off 19 deliveries, including two fours and three sixes.
Best batter of the match
Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the charge for Kolkata knight Riders after they were invited by GT to bat first. The Afghan batter scored a stunning knock to propel KKR’s innings. He scored 81 off 39, including five boundaries and seven maximums.
Best bowler of the match
Mohammed Shami claimed a three-wicket haul in the match against KKR. He picked the wickets of KKR opener Narayan Jagadeesan, Shardul Thakur, and Andre Russel. He bowled at an economy rate of 8.25.
What’s next for both teams?
GT will take on Delhi Capitals in their upcoming fixture on May 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. KKR, on the other hand, will play Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad on May 4.
