3 positives for KKR from their loss against GT
The Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets in what was a clinical performance by the visitors at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, April 29. With the win, defending champions Gujarat climbed to the top of the points table while the Knight Riders slid to seventh.
Batting first, KKR posted a total of 179/7 in their 20 overs. Considering the fact that it was an excellent batting wicket, KKR's total was 15-20 runs short. Their batting effort was headlined by a fine half-century from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (81 runs off 39 balls), with Andre Russell (34 runs off 19 balls) providing the finishing touches.
The GT bowlers did well with Mohammed Shami (3/33) and Noor Ahmad (2/21) emerging as the pick of the bowlers. Irish pacer Joshua Little (2/25) was also impressive and bagged the Player of the Match Award.
In reply, GT went off to a solid start and were cruising at 91/1 in 10.3 overs. However, the quick dismissals of Shubman Gill (49 runs off 35 balls) and Hardik Pandya (26 runs off 20 balls) sparked hopes of a fightback from the hosts.
However, a fantastic counter-attacking partnership between Vijay Shankar (51* runs off 24 balls) and David Miller (32* runs off 18 balls), took GT over the line with 2.1 overs to spare.
On that note, let us discuss three positives for KKR from their loss against GT
#1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz stars with the bat for KKR
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has had a mixed season so far but made it count today against an excellent GT attack. The Afghani opener struck five fours and seven sixes and scored at an excellent rate of 207.69. This is his second half-century of the season and the Knight Riders will be hoping for more consistent shows from him in the days to come.
#2 Andre Russell provides fireworks at the end of the innings
Andre Russell failed to fire in the first half of the season. However, the big Jamaican smashed two boundaries and three sixes in his whirlwind cameo. Russell starred with the ball as well, dismissing GT opener Wriddhiman Saha. The franchise will be hoping for more consistent performances from their marquee player.
#3 Sunil Narine shows glimpses of his former self
Sunil Narine gave away 24 runs in his three overs and picked up the important wicket of the in-form Shubman Gill, who was set and close to a half-century. Narine gave away just eight runs per over on a day when most bowlers in his team were expensive as the pitch was batter-friendly. This was not Narine's best performance but the Knight Riders will hope that he can build on this performance and soon regain his best form.
With that, we complete our piece on three positives for KKR from their loss against GT. Can you think of any other positives for KKR? Let us know in the comments section below.