Allen and Raghuvanshi star as Kolkata keep hopes alive with win over Gujarat

Skipper Shubman Gill’s fluent 85 was not enough to extend Gujarat Titans’ winning run as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a 29‑run victory to halt their opponents’ five‑match unbeaten streak and keep their own playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.

Finn Allen’s blistering 93 set the tone for KKR before Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s career‑best 82 not out and Cameron Green’s unbeaten 52 powered the hosts to 247/2, and were also aided by GT’s poor fielding display.

GT’s chase was built around Gill’s stroke‑filled 85 off 49 balls, laced with five fours and seven sixes.

Jos Buttler also chipped in with 57 off 35 balls, but the dismissal of both batters in quick succession left the chase adrift. Sai Sudharsan returned from a blow to the elbow to compile a fighting 53 not out off 28 balls. Yet GT ended up at 218/4, undone by KKR’s disciplined death bowling and a tight spell of 2-29 from Sunil Narine.

Chasing a daunting 248, GT began brightly with Sudharsan and Gill adding 42 runs in the first three overs, before the former retired hurt after being struck on the elbow. Nishant Sindhu replaced him but fell cheaply to Sunil Narine, caught at long‑off in the spinner’s 200th IPL appearance.

Gill pressed on by carving Matheesha Pathirana, who later went off the field after picking up a hamstring strain, through extra cover and launching Narine and Anukul Roy for successive sixes. Buttler joined in by cutting Varun Chakaravarthy for four and adding steady singles as the partnership grew.

Gill looked in supreme touch and reached his fifty off 33 balls and continued to dominate, smashing Varun Chakaravarthy for back‑to‑back sixes and a four. Buttler too found rhythm, carving Tyagi for six and reaching his half‑century with a diving second run. At 177/1 in 16 overs, GT appeared in contention to complete the chase, needing 71 off the last four overs.

But Narine struck the decisive blow when Gill swept straight to Anukul Roy at the ropes. Buttler tried to keep the chase alive by carving boundaries, but sliced to long‑off against Saurabh Dubey. Sudharsan returned to complete his innings, reaching a fighting fifty, but the task had grown too steep.

Cameron Green closed out the match with a short ball that Tewatia gloved to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, as KKR moved to sixth spot and are just two points behind Punjab Kings, who are at fourth place.

Previously, Allen played an absolute blinder - dropped twice on 14 and 33, the New Zealander made GT pay dearly, by hitting four boundaries and ten sixes at a strike-rate of 265.71. The Titans did themselves no favours with sloppy catching and ragged fielding that only added to the carnage unleashed by KKR.

Once Allen departed as GT halted the 95-run stand for the second wicket, Raghuvanshi took charge by hitting 82 not out off 44 balls, his highest score in the league, studded with four boundaries and seven sixes.

Green provided solid support by sharing an unbroken 108-run stand with Raghuvanshi for the third wicket and helping himself to 52 not out off 28 balls, laced with three fours and four maximums as the runs continued to flow unchecked for KKR.

Sent in to bat first, KKR were off to a brisk start as Ajinkya Rahane cleared third man for six. But it was Allen who seized control of the innings, launching into Kagiso Rabada with successive towering sixes after taking two fours off Siraj and racing past 30 inside the powerplay. Rahane’s dismissal for 14 to Siraj did little to halt the momentum as Raghuvanshi joined Allen to stitch a fluent partnership.

After being given two reprieves, Allen was in imperious touch, punishing Rashid Khan with back‑to‑back sixes and raising a 21‑ball half‑century. He continued to toy with the attack, hammering Arshad Khan for three sixes in an over and racing to 93 off just 35 balls. His dismissal of Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, caught by Rashid at long‑on, ended a breathtaking knock but left KKR well placed for a huge score.

Raghuvanshi, who had survived a close lbw call earlier, grew in confidence, paddling Rabada for six and unfurling reverse sweeps and lofted drives to keep the scoreboard racing. He reached his seventh IPL fifty and went on to compile his career-best IPL knock, striking boundaries at will and exploiting GT’s sloppy fielding.

Indo-Asian News Service