Cricket

'What a team it is'- Fans impressed as Gujarat Titans register an emphatic win over Kolkata Knight Riders to go top of the table

Fans impressed as Gujarat Titans register an emphatic win over Kolkata Knight Riders to go top of the table.

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Daniel S
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IPL 2023

IPL 2023: (Image Source: Twitter)

An excellent chasing effort from Gujarat Titans helped the defending champions register a comprehensive 7-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Saturday, April 29.

After a short but significant rain delay before the game started, Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and invited the home side to bat first. Despite losing Narayan Jagadeesan in the third over, they got off to a rollicking start courtesy of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The Afghan opener kept striking freely even as wickets fell around him, reaching his half-century in 27 balls. He was eventually dismissed for a classy 81 off 39 balls, an innings stuffed with five fours and seven sizes.

Birthday boy Andre Russell provided some fireworks at the end of the innings, scoring 34 off 19 with two fours and three sixes as KKR reached 179/7 in their 20 overs. For Gujarat, Mohammad Shami starred with the ball, picking up 3/33 in his four overs, while the overseas duo of Josh Little and Noor Ahmad claimed two scalps each.

Gujarat had a similar start to their innings as one opener departed early while the other smashed the ball to all parts of the ground. After Wriddhiman Saha departed for 10, Shubman Gill and Pandya put on a 50-run stand for the second wicket. Gill eventually perished for a stroke-filled 49 off 35 while Pandya departed for 26 off 20.

This brought Vijay Shankar and David Miller to the crease, and the experienced duo made short work of the chase. While Miller ended up not out on 32 off 18 balls with two fours and two sixes, Shankar was the real star of the chase. His excellent counter-attacking innings of 51* off 24 balls contained two fours and five sixes as the Titans coasted home with 13 balls to spare and seven wickets in the shed. Sunil Narine, Russell, and Harshit Rana picked up the wickets for Kolkata.

The win sees Gujarat leapfrog Rajasthan Royals and claim top spot in the IPL table, sitting pretty on 12 points from eight games. Their opponents remain stuck further down the table, occupying seventh place with six points from nine games played.

Here's a look at how fans reacted to the win:

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