Indian Premier League 2026 - 25th Match
GT
0/0
vs
KKR
0/0
Match starts at Apr 17, 14:00 GMT
won the toss and chose to
Commentary
Preview
Is there some light at the end of the tunnel at all for the Kolkata Knight Riders? The three-time champions have hit rock bottom with a solitary point from five outings. Never before have they endured a start worse than this, even as they haven't been averse to tough seasons after being forced into a reset at mega auctions.
The lack of capable spin-hitters and a host of batters best suited to play at the top has reflected in an unsettled batting order. The latest iteration of the same was on display at Chepauk when Sunil Narine was shored up to open, pushing Ajinkya Rahane to a role that resulted in him having to face more overs of spin.
For a team that has had to grapple with multiple casualties in its bowling department, it's their batting that has proved to be a major letdown. Outside Angkrish Raghuvanshi and more lately, Kartik Tyagi with the ball, there have been very few positives anyway for KKR, who are staring down the barrel of an early exit.
That they run into a Gujarat Titans outfit that is slowly starting to pick up some momentum doesn't really augur well for KKR, who are desperate to get a couple of points from somewhere. GT's bowlers have fared well, while Jos Buttler's welcome return to form has raised hopes of their famed top three potentially carrying them deep into the tournament again.
That said, a flaky middle-order of their own does raise questions over whether GT can survive an early wobble. Whether the Knight Riders can exploit those or not remains a big if.
When: GT vs KKR, IPL 2026, April 17 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
What to expect: Clear skies with temperatures soaring through the roof, although a 7:30 PM start ought not to make life overly challenging. The only game at this venue so far saw GT come agonisingly close to overhauling RR's total of 210 and conditions could favour run-scoring again.
Head-to-head: GT lead 3-1 overall. But KKR will take inspiration from their lone win at this very venue in 2023, where Rinku Singh clubbed five sixes in a sensational final-over heist.
Team Watch
Gujarat Titans
Injuries/Unavailabilities: There are no known injuries reported by the GT camp.
Tactics & Matchups: Rashid Khan has dominated Rovman Powell in T20s, dismissing him thrice in 36 deliveries while giving away just 26 runs. GT would do well to backload an over of their ace wrist-spinner to unleash him against Powell. Considering KKR's right-heavy batting lineup, GT also could be tempted into playing one of their left-arm spinners, Manav Suthar or Sai Kishore, particularly in the view of KKR's woes against the CSK spinners earlier this week.
Probable XII: 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, Prasidh Krishna
Kolkata Knight Riders
Injuries/Unavailabilities: KKR have confirmed that Matheesha Pathirana will not feature in this game, with his travel logistics still being worked out.
Tactics & Matchups: Both Rahane (strike-rate of 64.86, one dismissal) and Sunil Narine (two dismissals for a strike-rate of 117.85) have negative numbers against Mohammed Siraj. Pairing them up top may not be the wisest move, with KKR potentially wanting to use Narine as a disruptor in the middle-overs.
Desperate times could force a change or two on KKR's part, potentially bringing Tim Seifert into the equation in place of countryman Finn Allen. As much as the scrutiny continues to mount on Cameron Green, it is unlikely that he is left out of the XI just yet.
Probable XII: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Did you know?
- KKR's seamers have conceded a four or a six roughly once every three balls in IPL 2026
- Jos Buttler's strike-rate in the first ten balls of this season is 165 and he is yet to be dismissed inside his first ten deliveries of an innings. In contrast, his corresponding strike-rate at the recent T20 World Cup was 92.45
- For a minimum of 8 overs bowled, Sunil Narine (6.86) and Rashid Khan (6.87) boast of the best economy rates among spinners in IPL 2026
What they said:
"I'm not necessarily privy to those conversations myself personally from the actual choice perspective. I'd imagine probably most grounds do have a little bit of a choice. We're very lucky enough here to have both black soil and red soil (pitches) and also a combination of both. I'd imagine there would be a certain amount of looking at the opposition that we're coming up against, marrying our strengths up against potentially their weak points and saying 'Okay, what do we have the best opportunity to stack ourselves up against them?' - GT's Glenn Phillips on whether the team opts for a specific surface for a home game
Is there some light at the end of the tunnel at all for the Kolkata Knight Riders? The three-time champions have hit rock bottom with a solitary point from five outings. Never before have they endured a start worse than this, even as they haven't been averse to tough seasons after being forced into a reset at mega auctions.
The lack of capable spin-hitters and a host of batters best suited to play at the top has reflected in an unsettled batting order. The latest iteration of the same was on display at Chepauk when Sunil Narine was shored up to open, pushing Ajinkya Rahane to a role that resulted in him having to face more overs of spin.
For a team that has had to grapple with multiple casualties in its bowling department, it's their batting that has proved to be a major letdown. Outside Angkrish Raghuvanshi and more lately, Kartik Tyagi with the ball, there have been very few positives anyway for KKR, who are staring down the barrel of an early exit.
That they run into a Gujarat Titans outfit that is slowly starting to pick up some momentum doesn't really augur well for KKR, who are desperate to get a couple of points from somewhere. GT's bowlers have fared well, while Jos Buttler's welcome return to form has raised hopes of their famed top three potentially carrying them deep into the tournament again.
That said, a flaky middle-order of their own does raise questions over whether GT can survive an early wobble. Whether the Knight Riders can exploit those or not remains a big if.
When: GT vs KKR, IPL 2026, April 17 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
What to expect: Clear skies with temperatures soaring through the roof, although a 7:30 PM start ought not to make life overly challenging. The only game at this venue so far saw GT come agonisingly close to overhauling RR's total of 210 and conditions could favour run-scoring again.
Head-to-head: GT lead 3-1 overall. But KKR will take inspiration from their lone win at this very venue in 2023, where Rinku Singh clubbed five sixes in a sensational final-over heist.
Team Watch
Gujarat Titans
Injuries/Unavailabilities: There are no known injuries reported by the GT camp.
Tactics & Matchups: Rashid Khan has dominated Rovman Powell in T20s, dismissing him thrice in 36 deliveries while giving away just 26 runs. GT would do well to backload an over of their ace wrist-spinner to unleash him against Powell. Considering KKR's right-heavy batting lineup, GT also could be tempted into playing one of their left-arm spinners, Manav Suthar or Sai Kishore, particularly in the view of KKR's woes against the CSK spinners earlier this week.
Probable XII: 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, Prasidh Krishna
Kolkata Knight Riders
Injuries/Unavailabilities: KKR have confirmed that Matheesha Pathirana will not feature in this game, with his travel logistics still being worked out.
Tactics & Matchups: Both Rahane (strike-rate of 64.86, one dismissal) and Sunil Narine (two dismissals for a strike-rate of 117.85) have negative numbers against Mohammed Siraj. Pairing them up top may not be the wisest move, with KKR potentially wanting to use Narine as a disruptor in the middle-overs.
Desperate times could force a change or two on KKR's part, potentially bringing Tim Seifert into the equation in place of countryman Finn Allen. As much as the scrutiny continues to mount on Cameron Green, it is unlikely that he is left out of the XI just yet.
Probable XII: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Did you know?
- KKR's seamers have conceded a four or a six roughly once every three balls in IPL 2026
- Jos Buttler's strike-rate in the first ten balls of this season is 165 and he is yet to be dismissed inside his first ten deliveries of an innings. In contrast, his corresponding strike-rate at the recent T20 World Cup was 92.45
- For a minimum of 8 overs bowled, Sunil Narine (6.86) and Rashid Khan (6.87) boast of the best economy rates among spinners in IPL 2026
What they said:
"I'm not necessarily privy to those conversations myself personally from the actual choice perspective. I'd imagine probably most grounds do have a little bit of a choice. We're very lucky enough here to have both black soil and red soil (pitches) and also a combination of both. I'd imagine there would be a certain amount of looking at the opposition that we're coming up against, marrying our strengths up against potentially their weak points and saying 'Okay, what do we have the best opportunity to stack ourselves up against them?' - GT's Glenn Phillips on whether the team opts for a specific surface for a home game
Squads:
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Finn Allen, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Dahiya, Tim Seifert, Navdeep Saini, Rahul Tripathi, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Prashant Solanki, Blessing Muzarabani, Saurabh Dubey, Daksh Kamra, Umran Malik, Matheesha Pathirana
Gujarat Titans Squad: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Ashok Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Jason Holder, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Nishant Sindhu, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Tom Banton, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Luke Wood, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma