Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders produced an explosive batting display to keep their playoff hopes alive with a commanding 29-run victory over Gujarat Titans, powered by a ruthless batting exhibition from Finn Allen, who blasted a sensational 93 off just 35 balls. Brilliant unbeaten knocks from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green further strengthened KKR’s dominance as they piled up a massive 247/2. In reply, GT were restricted to 218, suffering a defeat that ended their impressive five-match winning streak. The thrilling contest took place in the 60th match of the Indian Premier League on Saturday, 16 May, and also marked the historic 100th IPL match at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The match began with Gujarat Titans winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Mohammed Siraj provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for 14 runs, while also completing his landmark 200th T20 wicket. However, Finn Allen launched a brutal assault with the bat, smashing a blazing half-century in just 21 deliveries and continuing the onslaught through the middle overs. He played an electrifying innings of 93 off just 35 balls, including 4 fours and 10 massive sixes. With this innings, Finn Allen registered his second IPL knock featuring 10 or more sixes, joining an elite group of batters to achieve this remarkable feat multiple times in league history. Only Chris Gayle has done it more often, with four such innings to his name. Allen eventually fell short of his century in the 12th over, dismissed by Sai Kishore, finally providing Gujarat Titans with a much-needed breakthrough. Earlier in the innings, when he was on 33, Mohammed Siraj had dropped a crucial catch to dismiss Allen, a moment that proved extremely costly for GT. At that stage, KKR were 139/2. Although GT briefly felt some momentum after the wickets and tried to make their way back into the game, the young Angkrish Raghuvanshi alongside Cameron Green completely dismantled those hopes. The pair added an outstanding unbeaten 108-run partnership in just 52 balls. GT’s poor fielding and multiple dropped catches made things even more difficult while trying to contain the flow of runs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a composed and consistent innings while finding boundaries regularly. He started cautiously before accelerating brilliantly later in the innings. In the 19th over by Siraj, he unleashed some exceptional shots as KKR collected 25 runs from the over. Raghuvanshi eventually finished unbeaten on a stunning 82 off 44 balls. The unbeaten knock was his fifth 50-plus score of the season, placing him alongside some of KKR’s greatest batting campaigns in IPL history. Only Gautam Gambhir has recorded more 50-plus scores for KKR in a single IPL season, with six in 2012. Raghuvanshi has now matched the likes of Robin Uthappa and Gambhir, who each had five such scores in different seasons. Cameron Green also provided the perfect finishing touch with a fluent unbeaten 52 off 28 balls, helping KKR finish with a massive 247/2 in 20 overs.
Chasing a colossal target of 248, GT started positively, with Sai Sudharsan looking in great touch. However, Sai had to leave the field retired hurt after suffering a blow to his left elbow from Kartik Tyagi while batting on 15. GT then promoted Nitish Sidhu, but he fell shortly to Sunil Narine, who was playing his landmark 200th IPL match, leaving GT at 49/1 in the fifth over. Despite the pressure of the massive target, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler fought brilliantly and stitched together a magnificent 128-run partnership. Gill played in outstanding fashion, scoring 85 off 49 balls with 7 sixes, while Buttler complemented him superbly with a fluent 57 off 35 balls. Narine returned in the 17th over to dismiss Gill and finished with brilliant figures of 2/29, earning the Player of the Match award. Sai Sudharsan returned to the crease. He played another excellent and composed innings, remaining unbeaten on 53 off 28 balls. With this knock, Sai Sudharsan achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the fastest batter ever to reach 3000 T20 runs, getting there in just 78 innings and surpassing the previous record held by Shaun Marsh, who had reached the landmark in 85 innings. The fifty also continued his extraordinary consistency this season. Sai has now registered four consecutive 50-plus scores for GT, becoming the first player in franchise history to achieve the feat. In the two overs, Gujarat Titans needed 45 runs. In the second-last over, Saurabh Dubey delivered a phenomenal spell by dismissing Jos Buttler and conceding only 5 runs. In the final over, Cameron Green took the last-ball wicket of Rahul Tewatia as Kolkata Knight Riders sealed victory. GT remained in second place on the points table, while KKR made a strong comeback and kept their playoff hopes alive, climbing to seventh position with 11 points.
