Vijay Shankar smashed a match-winning fifty in the last game between KKR and GT. (X)
A rejuvenated Gujarat Titans will play host to the high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders in a must-win encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 13.
While the Knight Riders have already secured their spot in the IPL 2024 Playoffs and are striving to finish the league phase in the top two, Gujarat Titans, along with RCB and DC, are still in contention for playoff qualification. However, Gujarat finds themselves in a must-win situation today, with the added challenge of improving their net run-rate, currently standing at (-1.063).
When GT Faced KKR in Kolkata
In terms of head-to-head record, Gujarat Titans hold a slight advantage, having secured two wins in three matches against KKR. Their previous encounter, which took place a year ago, ended in victory for GT.
As these two teams prepare to face each other once more, it's worthwhile to revisit their last match for insights into their upcoming clash.
After opting to bat first, KKR made a solid start with N. Jagadeeshan showing aggression, but they lost wickets at regular intervals. With the score at 88 for 4, the innings seemed to be in danger of falling apart, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz anchored the innings with an impressive 39-ball 81.
He was well supported by Andre Russell, who scored a quickfire 34 off 19 balls. However, Gujarat Titans fought back towards the end, conceding only 45 runs in the last 5 overs.
Clinical GT chased down the target
In the chase, Shubman Gill, a former Knight Rider, took charge from the beginning, aggressively scoring runs in the powerplay and finding the gaps against the pace bowlers. There was a moment when it seemed like Gill and Pandya might finish the game, but KKR struck back with two quick wickets, dismissing Pandya and Gill in successive overs.
Vijay Shankar and David Miller then took some time to settle, with Shankar initially appearing to be giving away the advantage. However, he timed his acceleration perfectly, smashing three sixes off Chakravarthy to reach a fifty off 24 balls.
Miller initiated the onslaught by hitting Suyash Sharma, who had bowled well until then. Ultimately, GT comfortably chased down the target with over two overs to spare.
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
