Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kept their playoff hopes alive with a dominant 29-run victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Eden Gardens in Match 60 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday, May 16.
After being put in to bat first, KKR produced a batting carnage and posted a massive 247/2 in their allotted 20 overs. While skipper Ajinkya Rahane fell cheaply for 14, the hosts quickly shifted gears courtesy of a sensational partnership between Finn Allen (93 runs off 35 balls) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (84 runs off 44 balls).
Premier all-rounder Cameron Green, who himself impressed with an unbeaten half-century, opened up on the franchise finally finding the right balance on the field and collecting important points on the table after the crucial win in Kolkata against the in-form Shubman Gill-led unit. Green has credited the Abhishek Nayar-led backroom staff for their work ahead of the matches for the positive outcomes.
“The coaching staff have been awesome. There was no panic behind closed doors. I think it just took us a while, maybe a bit too long, to figure out the right roles and get the right people in the right positions. I like to think I can bat in a few positions, but it’s about what is best for the team,” he said during a post-match interaction on JioHotstar.
“Ajinkya Rahane has been awesome at the top for us, and the same goes for Angkrish, our youngster at number three. So, it’s just about where I fit into the team, and number four seems to be it. We’ve found that now, so yeah, we’re giving ourselves a little chance here,” he continued.
The Australian all-rounder also reflected on taking on Rashid Khan during his unbeaten knock and credited the platform set by the top-order batters.
“Rashid is a quality bowler, and I’m sure we’ll have many battles in the future. No, I don’t think I’m picking Rashid better than most. It’s just kind of how it has happened. I had a couple of good opportunities to take it deep against GT, and, obviously, when you walk out to bat after a really good partnership, you can just keep that momentum going. The guys before me batted beautifully,” Green added.
Chasing a daunting target of 248, GT suffered an early blow as Sai Sudharsan retired hurt. However, skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler stitched together a 128-run stand to keep the visitors in the hunt. Gill smashed 85 off 49 balls, while Buttler contributed 57 off 35 deliveries. However, KKR bowlers managed to pull things back in the latter half of the innings as GT eventually finished on 218/4 in their 20 overs.
Veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine starred with the ball for KKR with figures of 2/29 and was adjudged the Player of the Match.
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