Kolkata, May 16 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders opener Finn Allen admitted fortune played its part in him hitting a blazing 93 against the Gujarat Titans, but insisted clarity of thought and adapting to conditions were key as his side piled up 247/2 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at Eden Gardens on Saturday.

His knock, studded with 10 sixes and four fours, set the tone for KKR before Raghuvanshi (82 not out) and Cameron Green (52 not out) ensured the innings closed with a flourish, leaving GT staring at a daunting chase.

“Sometimes you get a little bit lucky (talking about the luck he got early on). I just tried to continue as long as I could. Yeah, it’s a beautiful ground to bat at. Boundaries are quite small, and the wicket is usually pretty good. It was a little bit tricky at the start, but we just tried to push through that,” Allen said to broadcasters at the innings break.

Asked if the pitch improved as the innings went on, he replied, “Definitely. It was quite challenging with the new ball. Again, two quality bowlers. So, as I said, I just tried to push through that and get to the middle phase.”

Allen was effusive in his praise for young teammate Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who struck a career‑best 82 not out. “He’s a proper player. The way he gets up and starts his innings, the batsmanship that he shows at such a young age, he’s a quality player.”

On whether he had a total in mind while batting, the New Zealander added, “No, I think personally, I just try and worry about that towards the back end of the innings if I’m there.

“But for the time that I was out there, I just wanted to put as many as I could. As I said, the wicket felt like it got better, so I just wanted to be pretty clear in what I was doing and not think about too much.”

Allen backed his side’s batting depth to defend the imposing total and keep themselves alive in the race to the playoffs. “I think I’ll definitely back our boys. We’ve got a serious line‑up, and I back our boys,” he said.

–IANS

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