Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kept their playoff hopes alive with an impressive 29-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Eden Gardens in the 60th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday, May 16.
After being invited to bat first, KKR batted brilliantly and scored a huge score of 247/2 in the stipulated 20 overs. while captain Ajinkya Rahane After being dismissed cheaply for 14 runs, the hosts quickly changed gears thanks to a sensational partnership between Finn Allen (93 runs off 35 balls) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (84 runs off 44 balls).
Premier all-rounder Cameron Green, who himself impressed with an unbeaten half-century, led the franchise to finally find the right balance on the field and collect vital points in the table after a crucial win in Kolkata against the in-form Shubman Gill-led unit. Green has credited the backroom staff led by Abhishek Nair for their work before matches for the positive results.
“The coaching staff has been fantastic. There was no nervousness behind closed doors. I think it took us a while to figure out the right roles and get the right people in the right positions, maybe a little more time. I think I can bat in certain positions, but it's about what's best for the team,” he said during a post-match interaction on JioHotstar.
“Ajinkya Rahane has been brilliant for us at the top, and the same goes for our young player Angkrish at number three. So, it's just about where I fit into the team, and number four feels like that. We've found that now, so yes, we're giving ourselves a bit of a chance here,” he added.
The Australian all-rounder also reflected on facing Rashid Khan during his unbeaten innings and credited the platform created by the top-order batsmen.
“Rashid is a quality bowler, and I'm sure we'll have many contests in the future. No, I don't think I'm picking Rashid better than other players. It's just the way it happened. I had some good chances to take it deep against GT, and, obviously, when you get to bat after really good partnerships, you can keep that momentum going. The guys before me batted beautifully,” Green said.
GT suffered an early setback while chasing a tough target of 248 runs. Sai Sudarshan Retire Hurt. However, captain Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler kept the visitors in the contest with a 128-run partnership. Gill scored 85 runs in 49 balls, while Buttler contributed 57 runs in 35 balls. However, KKR bowlers managed to pull things back in the latter half of the innings as GT eventually finished at 218/4 in their 20 overs.
Experienced all-rounder Sunil Narine performed brilliantly with the ball for KKR with figures of 2/29 and was named player of the match.
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