The 60th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will see Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans (GT) bowling first against the might of Kolkata Knight Riders at the prestigious venue of Eden Gardens, with both the teams looking to consolidate their positions on the table. Before the match, fans wondered whether Varun ChakrabortyKKR's leading spinner will be successful in making a place in the playing eleven.
KKR vs GT: Toss update
The toss went in favor of the visiting Gujarat team, as Gill reaffirmed his decision to field first against KKR's strong batting lineup. GT made no changes to their playing eleven after five consecutive wins in the previous matches, while Knight Riders had to make one change.
KKR vs GT: Chakravarthy comes in, but what about Pathirana?
While GT is unchanged for this game, it is Chakravarthy who is fit again and has made a comeback on the field at Eden. Meanwhile, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side has named only three overseas players in their line-up, which means the Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana Can come in as an impressive player to play his first match of the season. However, Vaibhav Arora is another option that KKR can consider.
KKR vs GT: What did the captains say?
Shubman Gill, captain of Gujarat Titans,
“We will bowl first. Yes, it looks like (the pitch is moist), there was a bit of rain yesterday and it looks a bit sticky, we are hoping it will get better in the second innings.
“(On GT's bowlers dominating and winning five matches in a row) Yes, of course, we believe that, batsmen win you matches, but if you want to win the championship, your bowling unit has to be in form and fortunately for us, they have been firing on all cylinders. Our bowling unit has been on top this season. The momentum is with us and we have to continue to do the same things that we are doing well.
“This is not the stage, this is not the time to take any team lightly, but we are hoping to win the next two and hopefully hold on to the top two spots. It gives an edge to the teams finishing in the top two. You get an extra match. Hopefully, we won't play extra matches, but it gives you an edge, you can go out there and play your game. We are going in with the same team.”
Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders captain,
“Taking one game at a time, but as you rightly said, we have to win three games and then see what happens. It is important as a team that we are playing really good cricket, winning four out of five games; the combination is there too, and the guys are really clicking together. We just have to keep it really simple, focus on this game and then take it forward.
“Absolutely (we have to be consistent in all parts). As I said, we have been playing really good cricket in those five games; people are taking great confidence from the positives of the last game. It is very easy for us now. It is one game at a time; win it and be ready for the next two games. We were also looking at the fielding.
“There is a bit of moisture (on the surface); it rained last night, heavy rain, so I don't think it will change that much, considering the wind is blowing. I'm not even sure about the dew factor, but whatever it is, we want to give our best in our batting, and then when we defend the total, give our best in those 20 overs. Varun comes in; Varun is fit.
KKR vs GT: Playing XI
Gujarat Titans
Shubman Gill (captain), B Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Nishant Sindhu, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj
Effect Options: Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Prasidh Krishna and Kumar Kushagra
Kolkata Knight Riders
finn allen, Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakraborty, Karthik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey.
Effect Options: Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rovman Powell and Mathisha Pathirana
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