The Gujarat Titans won their third game in IPL 2026, as they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders to shoot to the top four. But why did KKR lose to GT?
The game was Match 25 of IPL 2026, played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The away side won the toss and decided to bat first. The Knight Riders got off to a poor start. Then, Cameron Green finally found form this season and stabilised the innings with his 79 off 55. However, a poor performance in the death meant that they were all out for 180.
In response, while the Gujarat Titans lost regular wickets, Captain Shubman Gill anchored the innings perfectly and led his team to victory.
Here, we will discuss the three reasons as to why Gujarat Titans beat Kolkata Knight Riders in tonight’s game of IPL 2026.
Why Gujarat Titans Beat Kolkata Knight Riders
1) Pace Attack Strikes In The Powerplay
Rather than going with the trend that has been to win the toss and decide to bowl this season, the Kolkata Knight Riders decided to bat first tonight. And instantly, it seemed like a poor decision.
Team captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has been KKR’s second-highest run-scorer this season, was dismissed for a golden duck in the first over of the match, dismissed by Mohammed Siraj. Then, in the very next over, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who has been the team’s highest run-scorer this season, departed for eight off four by Kagiso Rabada.
The Knight Riders’ entire top order would depart in the first six overs of this match, as Tim Seifert, who has not been in the best in IPL 2026 so far, became Rabada’s second wicket in the fourth over for 19 off 14.
These three wickets resulted in KKR’s run rate, which was going at about eight runs an over, falling to six. At the end of the powerplay, the score was 37/3. On the strike were Cameron Green and Rovman Powell. While the former was yet to justify his massive Rs. 25 crore price tag, the latter had not scored too many runs this season.
2) A Stumble At The Death
Despite losing early wickets, by the end of the 15th over, KKR was looking at a 200+ score in this game. After the powerplay, the pair of Cameron Green and Rovman Powell not only stabilised the innings but also gave the run rate a push, to the point where it hovered around 10 rpo.
Rovman made 27 off 20 before the 55-run partnership between him and Green ended in the 11th over. Meanwhile, the lanky Aussie was busy scoring his first half-century of the season, doing so in 34 balls and reaching the milestone in the 13th over.
The wicket of Anukul Roy in the 15th over would start the collapse of the Knight Riders. While the all-rounder departed for nine off seven, the score at the end of that over was 148/5.
Rinku Singh came in at No. 7 and was out straight away for one-off-two. He was Rabada’s third wicket of the night. That ended at the score of 157/6, and a 200+ score was still in sight. However, that was not to be.
The 17th over by Ashok Sharma saw the wicket of Ramandeep Singh fall, who made a quickfire 17 off eight. Then, in the 18th over, Sunil Narine was out for a duck, and suddenly, Kolkata’s tail was exposed.
At 172/8 with two overs remaining, Cameron Green had to score the majority of runs from this point. Instead, KKR lost their ninth on the first ball of the 19th as Kartik Tyagi was run out for six runs off four.
The 18th over by Prasidh Krishna went for only two runs, as Cam Green on strike was unable to deal with the pacer’s line and length. The 20th over was, unconventionally, bowled by Rashid Khan. But the Afghan maestro conceded only one boundary and just six runs in six deliveries. He also dismissed Green on the final ball for 79 off 55. And thus, the first innings ended at 180/10 in 20 overs.
3) A Gill Masterclass
Shubman Gill showed why he is the highest-profile young batter in this country and the Indian Test captain. On what was not the easiest batting pitch in the world, the Gujarat Titans captain locked down one end of the pitch.
The Titans got off to a fine start to their innings, making 71 runs in the powerplay. Opener Sai Sudhasan only lost his wicket at the start of the sixth over for 22 off 16. Gill had gotten off to a flying start tonight. At the end of the powerplay, he was batting at 34 off 15.
While Jos Buttler looked in fine touch, his contribution with the bat was not too big. He departed for 25 off 15 in the 10th over. The run rate at this point was over 10 rpo.
Washington Sundar made a run-a-ball 13 in the 15th over. However, the run rate was still above required despite continued wickets because of Shubman Gill, who made a match-winning 86 off 50 tonight.
By the time Gill departed at the end of the 17th over, the chase had boiled down to 22 required in 18. This was an easy task for the middle order.
Glenn Phillips contributed with 19 off 16, while the pair of Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan ended the match with seven off six and three off two, respectively. The Titans won this game by five wickets with two balls to spare.
While the Kolkata Knight Riders sit at the bottom of the league table with no wins in six games, the Gujarat Titans shoot up to fourth place on the points table with three wins in five games. For his fine stint with the bat in this game, Shubman Gill was named the Player of the Match for Match 25 of IPL 2026.
Check Out: Why Gujarat Titans Beat Kolkata Knight Riders
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