Chasing 181 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Titans were off to a flying start as Shubman Gill launched a scathing attack. His opening partner, Sai Sudharsan, looked in decent touch, but the youngster once again failed to convert his start, departing for 22 runs. Jos Buttler then joined Gill at the crease, but the England international also had a good start before Varun Chakaravarthy got the better of him in the 10th over of the innings.
After his dismissal, KKR had the perfect opportunity to take a grip of the game with Narine and Chakaravarthy looking in good form, but captain Ajinkya Rahane didn’t bowl them in tandem and also didn’t use Anukul Roy well. It resulted in Gill building well in the middle overs before taking the game close to victory. He departed scoring 86 runs off 5, as Gujarat registered a five-wicket win.
You need to take risks: Kumble on KKR’s bowling
After the game, former India captain Anil Kumble called out the KKR team management for their lack of game awareness. He analysed that the team management should have considered bowling Narine and Chakaravarthy much earlier and not when the game was slowly slipping out of their reach. He also pointed out that KKR didn’t take enough risks in the middle and eventually registered their fifth defeat of the IPL 2026 campaign.
“KKR lacked game awareness, especially in how they used their spinners. On a good surface, the only way to create pressure is by bowling your spinners in tandem, but Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy were rarely used together. When they did bowl, they were economical and built pressure, but by then, the game had already moved on. If you’re chasing a win from that position, you need to take risks, even using them early in the Powerplay. It might not always work, but that’s how you give yourself the best chance to turn the game,” Kumble said on JioHotstar’s Match Centre Live.
With no wins so far in the competition, KKR are at the bottom of the points table. They now face Rajasthan Royals in their upcoming encounter on April 19 at Eden Gardens.
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