Finn Allen destroys GT bowling attack
After losing the toss, KKR were asked to bat first on a surface that initially offered some help to the fast bowlers. Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill had predicted that the pitch would be slightly sticky early on before becoming easier for batting later in the game, and that assessment proved correct.
Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada troubled the KKR batters in the opening overs with seam movement and awkward bounce. KKR managed only eight runs from the first two overs as the GT bowlers kept things tight.
However, Finn Allen soon changed the momentum completely. The explosive opener attacked Siraj in the third over with back-to-back boundaries and never looked back after that. Allen survived an early scare when Jason Holder dropped a difficult catch at extra cover while he was batting on 14.
Despite the tricky conditions during the powerplay, Allen kept attacking fearlessly. KKR ended the first six overs at 56/1, with Allen already racing to 31 runs off just 15 balls. Angkrish Raghuvanshi also looked confident from the start and impressed with a scoop six off Rabada.
Match slips away from Gujarat Titans
The game shifted heavily in KKR’s favour during the seventh over. Holder forced Allen into a mistimed shot, but Mohammed Siraj dropped a straightforward catch at long-on. The missed opportunity proved extremely costly for GT.
From that point onward, KKR batters launched a brutal assault. Allen smashed eight sixes during a breathtaking innings of 93 off only 35 balls. Whether it was pace or spin, he attacked everything in his hitting arc with clean and powerful shots.
During one incredible phase, KKR hammered ten sixes in just 23 legal deliveries. Allen dominated bowlers all around the park with pulls, straight hits, and lofted drives. His fearless batting completely erased KKR’s slow start and gave them full control of the contest.
Raghuvanshi and Green continue the carnage
R Sai Kishore finally dismissed Allen in the 12th over, denying him a century by just seven runs. But Gujarat Titans still found no relief as Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green continued the attacking approach.
GT’s poor fielding added to their troubles. Arshad Khan dropped Green when he was batting on 23, while Washington Sundar later gave Raghuvanshi another lifeline after failing to hold onto a catch near the boundary.
Both batters made GT pay heavily for those mistakes. Raghuvanshi displayed a wide range of shots during the death overs and particularly punished Siraj in the 19th over with three sixes and a four. He accelerated brilliantly after reaching his fifty and finished unbeaten with a superb knock.
Green also played an excellent supporting role. The Australian all-rounder reached his half-century in just 26 balls and kept finding boundaries regularly.
Together, Raghuvanshi and Green stitched an unbeaten 108-run partnership from only 53 balls for the third wicket. Their explosive finish powered KKR to a mammoth 247/2 in 20 overs.
Gujarat Titans start well but lose momentum
Chasing 248 was always going to be a massive task for Gujarat Titans, especially because their previous highest successful IPL chase was only 204.
Still, GT began aggressively. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill attacked from the start and raced to 42 runs without loss in only three overs. Sudharsan looked particularly dangerous before suffering a blow to his elbow and retiring hurt.
His injury disrupted GT’s momentum at a crucial stage. Soon after, Sunil Narine struck with his very first delivery after coming into the attack. Nishant Sindhu, who had been promoted in the batting order, mistimed a shot and was caught at long-off.
Narine bowled with tremendous control and allowed almost no scoring opportunities. During one spell, he bowled four consecutive dot balls to Gill and kept Gujarat Titans under constant pressure.
Gill and Buttler fight hard
Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler tried to keep GT alive in the chase with an impressive 128-run partnership for the third wicket. Both batters scored attacking half-centuries and occasionally punished the KKR bowlers.
Gill smashed Varun Chakravarthy for multiple boundaries and sixes, while Buttler slowly found rhythm after struggling early against the cutters and slower deliveries from Cameron Green and Kartik Tyagi.
However, Gujarat Titans consistently lost ground because they failed to score enough big overs. Unlike KKR, who regularly collected 15-plus runs during the middle overs, GT could not maintain the required scoring rate.
Whenever they built momentum, KKR responded immediately with disciplined bowling. Narine’s final spell completely shut the door on Gujarat Titans.
Narine seals victory for KKR
Sunil Narine, playing his 200th IPL match, delivered a match-winning performance with the ball. His clever variations and tight lines made life extremely difficult for GT batters.
By the time Sai Sudharsan returned to bat in the 17th over, Gujarat Titans needed an impossible 71 runs from just 22 balls. Narine then removed Shubman Gill in the same over, effectively ending the contest.
Gill attempted a sweep shot against one of Narine’s trademark fast deliveries but was caught near the boundary after scoring a fighting 85 off 49 balls. GT eventually finished at 218/4 in 20 overs, falling 29 runs short of the target.
Brief Scorecard
