Vijay Shankar’s 24-ball unbeaten 51 helped Gujarat Titans beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets in Match 39 of IPL 2023 at the Eden Gardens. The win took Gujarat to 12 points as they claimed the top spot with their sixth win in eight matches, while KKR, despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s valiant 81, fell to their sixth loss of the campaign.
Chasing a challenging total of 180 after a rain-delayed start, Vijay Shankar and David Miller took their team home with a blazing 87-run stand in just 39 balls for the fourth wicket. Miller made 32 off just 18 balls. During his match-winning knock, Shankar hit five sixes and two fours, while Miller helped himself to two fours and two sixes.
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At the start of the chase, GT lost Wriddhiman Saha to Andre Russell for 10 in the fifth over, but Shubman Gill held one end tight and made a sedate 35-ball 49. Skipper Hardik Pandya added 26 off 20 as Gill and Pandya combined for a stand of 50 off 39 balls to steady the ship for GT.
But GT lost both their well-set batters in quick succession to debutant Harshil Rana and Sunil Narine as KKR looked to claw back. However, KKR’s comeback was shut down by Shankar and Miller.
Earlier, riding on Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 39-ball 81 and Russell’s late pyrotechnics of 34 off 19 balls had helped KKR to 179/7 in their 20 overs.
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After being put into bat, KKR lost N Jagadeesan to Mohammad Shami in the 3rd over while the gamble of promoting Shardul Thakur to No.3 did not work as he was out for a four-ball duck to Shami again. But, despite the early blows KKR managed a run-rate of 10 in the powerplay overs courtesy of Gurbaz’s fireworks in the first six overs.
Gujarat Titans though did not allow KKR to take off with regular strikes as Ireland’s Joshua Little impressed again in the middle overs claiming, two quick wickets – Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana – to dent KKR.
Rinku Singh and Gurbaz then put together a stand of 47 runs quickly, but once again GT roared back with Noor Ahmad claiming the duo. With four overs to go, Russell chanced his arms and hit three sixes and two fours to push KKR’s total to 179.
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Little and Ahmad impressed returning two wickets each, with an economy of under seven. Shami claimed a maximum three wickets.
Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 180/3 (Vijay Shankar 51*, Shubman Gill 49; Sunil Natine 1/24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 179/7 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 81, Andre Russell 34; Mohammad Shami 3/33) by 7 wickets.
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