Gill fires again at Ahmedabad as KKR stay winless

Shubman Gill continued his love-affair with Ahmedabad, registering his 10th fifty-plus score in 27 T20 innings at the venue to power Gujarat Titans to a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR finished with 180, thanks to Cameron Green finally hitting his straps, but that proved insufficient as the Titans chased it down in the final over.

Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 180 in 20 overs [Cameron Green 79 (55), Rovman Powell 27 (20); Kagiso Rabada 3-29, Mohammed Siraj 2-23] lost to Gujarat Titans 181/5 in 19.4 overs [Shubman Gill 86 (50), Jos Buttler 25 (15); Varun Chakaravarthy 2-34] by 5 wickets.

A big score for Shubman Gill in Ahmedabad is almost a given. He added to his tally with his sixth half-century at the venue to guide the Titans in the chase. Although he wasn't there till the end, his contribution set the path for GT to get over the line.

A struggle for KKR after opting to bat

Mohammed Siraj began the early dismantling of KKR, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for a duck. Kagiso Rabada then picked up two wickets, restricting KKR to 37/3 in the Powerplay. Three wickets in the Powerplay in this game extended KKR's tally to 12 this season, the most for any team.

Powell leads a batting revival

Even as Green struggled to get going, Rovman Powell gave some much-needed impetus to KKR's innings. He struck a six and a four off Ashok Sharma, taking KKR to 80 for 3 after 10 overs.

Green finally comes to the party but…

He was on 27 off 28 at the halfway stage, but there was a transformation from Green in the overs to follow. A six and a four off Rashid was followed by two sixes off Ashok as Green brought up a 34-ball fifty. However, wickets fell around him as KKR collapsed trying to maximise the remaining overs. Green struggled in the last two overs, scoring only 3 off the nine balls he faced, and got out on the last ball.

A lovely straight drive off Kartik Tyagi was one of several exquisite shots played by Gill, who set the tempo for the chase with regular boundaries. Sai Sudharsan was not to be left behind, hitting two sixes. Both batters took GT past fifty inside five overs. Narine ended Sudharsan's stay but Jos Buttler was in a punishing mood, striking two fours and a six to take GT past 70 at the end of the Powerplay.

Some hiccups but GT get over the line

Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Buttler, but the wicket did little to affect GT's progress, with Gill continuing to impress. Washington Sundar gave good support until he fell to Varun. Gill entered the 80s, with the equation coming down to 32 off the last four overs.

Green then pulled off a blinder diving from deep backward point to send back Gill, opening a small avenue for KKR. But Glenn Phillips effectively shut that door with two fours off Tyagi in the 18th over. It did come to the last over with 5 needed. Vaibhav Arora managed to dismiss Phillips before Shahrukh Khan took a couple to complete the win with two deliveries remaining.

Another thing about Green…

He didn't bowl today. Reason: "Green was struggling with his cramps; that's the reason he was on and off the field today, and that's the reason he didn't bowl," said Rahane after the match.

What's next?

KKR have a short turnaround as they head home to face Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on Sunday (April 19). GT have a break for a couple days and will remain at home to take on Mumbai Indians next on April 20.