Ahmedabad, April 18 (IANS) Ajinkya Rahane credited Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan for their match-winning effort after Gujarat Titans defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in Ahmedabad, admitting his side failed to capitalise during key moments despite posting a competitive total.

Gill led the chase with a commanding 86 off 50 balls at the Narendra Modi Stadium, striking eight fours and four sixes to guide GT to 181 in 19.4 overs. Sudharsan chipped in with a brisk 22 at the top, ensuring a strong powerplay foundation that proved decisive in the chase.

Rahane acknowledged the quality of the Titans’ opening pair and pointed to KKR’s inability to strike early as a turning point. “I thought he batted really well [Shubman Gill]. I initially felt slightly back of length, the ball was slightly holding, anything up front, half-volleys were coming nicely, slightly dew as well. But again, no excuse, as I said, 180, we needed wickets in the powerplay, they batted beautifully. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill batted beautifully,” Rahane said after the match.

Despite the defeat, the KKR skipper chose to highlight positives, particularly Cameron Green’s fighting knock that helped the visitors recover from early setbacks. “It’s never easy after immediately losing the game, and come and talk about the game. I thought I just wanted to talk about the positives, especially the way we started two-three wickets down. In Cameron Green’s innings, he was under pressure, but the kind of counter-attack he did had a positive impact. What he made was amazing to see, going after their bowlers. As you mentioned some time back, 147 for four, and from there, around 180 was slightly difficult from a batting unit, but credit to all our bowlers, the way they bowled, taking the game till the last over. Everyone contributed well,” he added.

Green’s 79 off 55 balls—his maiden IPL 2026 fifty—lifted KKR to 180, a total Rahane believed was competitive on the surface. However, GT’s strong start and composed chase ensured they sealed their third consecutive win of the season, following victories over Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants.

The result pushes Gujarat Titans up to fourth on the points table with six points from five matches, while Kolkata Knight Riders continue their search for a first win, languishing at the bottom with just one point from their campaign so far.

–IANS

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