KOLKATA, APRIL 17, 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face off against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 25th match of the IPL 2026 season on April 17 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, at 7:30 PM. GT will be aiming to secure their third consecutive win, while KKR will be desperate to register their first win of the season in today’s match.
KKR have started the season in the worst possible way. In five matches, they remain winless and are placed at the bottom of the table with just 1 point, which came from a match abandoned due to rain. In IPL history, KKR have never lost five consecutive matches, making this situation even more concerning. They have struggled with the availability of pace bowlers due to several injuries before the campaign began. Along with that, there are serious concerns about their batting order and overall performance. With continuous reshuffling of the batting order and due to most of the players being out of form, they are facing problems, especially against spin. Ajinkya Rahane has handled pace bowling reasonably well, but as soon as spin is introduced, he loses his wicket. Finn Allen, Cameron Green, and Rinku Singh all look out of form. The only one doing well in batting has been Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The openers have failed to score runs in the powerplay, the middle order has collapsed quickly, and the finishers have not contributed much either.
In bowling, KKR have performed slightly better compared to their batting. Cameron Green has started contributing with the ball, and Sunil Narine has done an outstanding job with spin. Among the pacers, Kartik Tyagi has been decent. However, Varun Chakravarthy still looks out of form, and Vaibhav Arora, although taking wickets, has been quite expensive. There are also questions being raised regarding Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy. Matheesha Pathirana is expected to join the team soon after clearing the mandatory fitness test by Sri Lanka Cricket, possibly from the next match, which could strengthen the bowling attack. For today’s match, Tim Seifert might replace the out-of-form opener Finn Allen, although this has not been officially confirmed. On the other hand, GT started their campaign with two consecutive losses but bounced back strongly with two wins in four matches. They are currently placed 6th on the table with 4 points. GT have a strong bowling lineup along with a well-balanced batting unit. In the first two matches, after the openers were dismissed, the middle order collapsed quickly. However, after Jos Buttler’s inclusion, the middle order has become more stable.
In their last match against Lucknow Super Giants, GT’s bowling performance was outstanding. Given KKR’s current form, they may find it difficult to handle GT’s bowling attack. In IPL history, the two teams have faced each other five times, where GT have won three matches, KKR have won one, and one match ended with no result.
KKR Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Singh, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Cameron Green, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Blessing Muzarabani, Vaibhav Arora, Matheesha Pathirana, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Saurabh Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy.
Kolkata Knight Riders predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
GT Squad: Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Tom Banton, Glenn Phillips, Sai Sudharsan, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Luke Wood, Kulwant Khejroliya, Rashid Khan.
Gujarat Titans predicted XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Manav Suthar/Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj.
The weather in Ahmedabad is expected to be hot and dry, with no chance of rain. Day temperatures will be around 38–41°C, and during the match, it will be around 34–38°C, gradually cooling to 30–32°C later at night. The sky will remain mostly clear with low humidity, ensuring a full match without interruptions. The pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium is expected to be batting-friendly. Early in the match, it will offer good bounce and carry, helping stroke play. As the game progresses, it may slow down slightly, bringing spinners into action, but overall it should remain good for batting. With minimal dew expected, teams winning the toss might prefer to bat first and post a big total. At this point, KKR are eagerly looking for their first win, while GT will aim to continue their positive momentum and secure their third consecutive victory.
