Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Batting masterclass produced in defeat at Eden Gardens Gujarat Titans (GT) lost by 29 runs in the 60th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. riding on the explosive knock from Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi And cameron greenKKR posted a challenging score of 247/2 before their bowlers showed courage to restrict GT to 218/4 on Friday evening.
Finn Allen is leading the KKR batting line up brilliantly
After being asked to bat first by the Gujarat Titans captain Shubman GillKKR made full use of the batting-friendly conditions and entertained the home crowd with a barrage of fours and sky-scraping sixes. Despite losing the captain Ajinkya Rahane Starting at 14, the innings soon turned into a nightmare for the GT bowlers as Allen launched a ferocious attack.
The New Zealand batsman scored 93 runs with the help of four fours and 10 sixes in just 35 balls during his brilliant stay at the crease. Allen attacked both pace and spin with equal authority and completely shifted the momentum in KKR’s favor during the powerplay overs.
After this, Raghuvanshi took the momentum forward by playing a mature but aggressive innings of 82 runs in 44 balls. The young batsman mixed innovation with clean striking and formed a big partnership with Allen, hitting seven sixes and four fours. Their counter-attack forced Gujarat Titans to look for answers in the middle overs.
Green gave the final touch to the match by playing a stormy innings of 52 not out off just 28 balls. The Australian all-rounder used his reach effectively and cleared the ropes four times as KKR comfortably crossed the 240-run mark. The hosts eventually finished with 247/2 in the allotted 20 overs.
Among the bowlers of Gujarat, Mohd. Mohammad Siraj And Sai Kishore Managed to take one wicket each, but the rest of the attack struggled badly under pressure. Rashid Khan During this he faced a rare off and gave 57 runs in his four overs. Kagiso Rabada And jason holder Also remained wicketless.
Trouble for Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler go fight Useless
Chasing a mammoth target of 248, Gujarat Titans needed a good start and got one Sai Sudarshan And Gil. Sudarshan looked in great form during his quickfire innings of 53 runs off 28 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes. Sunil Narine Broke the dangerous stand.
Gill continued the chase brilliantly and played a brilliant inning of 85 runs in 49 balls to keep GT in the hunt. The GT captain combined timing with power and hit seven sixes during his innings. Jos Buttler also joined the party by scoring 57 runs in 35 balls, helping the visitors easily cross 200.
However, the required rate kept rising and KKR managed to strike at crucial intervals. Narine emerged as the standout bowler for the hosts, taking two crucial wickets for just 29 runs in his four overs. green and -Saurabh Dubey Took a wicket each to prevent Gujarat from gaining complete control. Despite resistance from Gill and Buttler, Gujarat Titans eventually finished at 218/4 in 20 overs, falling 29 runs short of the target.
The win gave Kolkata Knight Riders a significant lead in the IPL 2026 points table and showcased the fearsome potential of their batting lineup before the end of the tournament. Allen’s explosive innings coupled with Raghuvanshi’s composure and Green’s finishing touch ensured KKR pulled off a memorable win in front of their home fans at the Eden Gardens.
Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin questions Punjab Kings’ two-home venue strategy amid fall in IPL 2026
Here’s how fans reacted:
Victory at home, faith in heart💜 pic.twitter.com/r4XhouLuZr
– KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) 16 May 2026
Sunil Narine is not only a contender for the greatest foreign player in IPL history, but also the greatest player in IPL history! Consistently unreal even on these flat pitches.
– Sporty Bets (@SportyStats4U) 16 May 2026
– 37(17) vs MI.
– 28(7) vs SRH.
– 29(13) vs SRH.
– 100*(47) vs DC.
– 93(35) vs GT.Finn Allen has been brilliant for KKR in this IPL – the future of KKR. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tJpNG3WNws
– Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) 16 May 2026
Greetings, Finn Allen. 🫡
– 93 (35) with 4 fours and 10 brilliant sixes. He is a great player, unfortunately he missed the century. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zP3SYSz5ad
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) 16 May 2026
Victory at home, faith in heart💜 pic.twitter.com/r4XhouLuZr
– KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) 16 May 2026
Standing ovation for Finn Allen.🙌
– Finn Allen was out after scoring 93 runs in just 35 balls with a strike rate of 266. pic.twitter.com/0h4CePZJm5
– Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) 16 May 2026
This is an important win for KKR as they are still alive #IPL2026#KKRvsGT pic.twitter.com/mxnfNieWQG
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 16 May 2026
KKR’s goat – Sunil Narayan 🐐 pic.twitter.com/U5JLKRxba5
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 16 May 2026
Finn Allen as T20 batsman
– He is the most dangerous T20 batsman in the world
– He is the most destructive T20 batsman in the world
– When the song plays it becomes frantic and can tear you apart
– He can easily go over 200 every day of the week
– He can clear any border in the world… pic.twitter.com/FxPbnftpDZ-Akshat (@akshatgoal1408) 16 May 2026
Finn Allen is a monster, he is the type of batsman who won’t score every day, but on the day he scores, there will be absolute carnage and he will single-handedly change the game.
These guys are made for T20 cricket and T20 cricket has changed. 🦁 pic.twitter.com/Dd0uVEtXY0
-Huge. (@sportyvishal) 16 May 2026
There were many mystery bowlers, there were many good bowlers who played IPL but after a few years or after lasting for a few more years their career definitely ended at a lower level but there would be only one bowler who would remain great till his last IPL game with a brilliant career…
– Prasanna (@prasannalara) 16 May 2026
• 200 matches (all for one franchise)
• 203 wickets🎯
•1820 runs💥
• First foreign player to play 200 times
• 3x Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award Winner🏆
• Career economy rate: a ridiculous 6.79
• The only player to take a century and 5 wicketsSunil Narine’s… pic.twitter.com/KonktX8AQV
– Anuj (@Hello_anuj) 16 May 2026
– Pollard retired
– became bravo coach
– Russell disappearedBut Sunil Narine is still the same. The man is still pulling off the game for KKR. pic.twitter.com/L3PDGuG9IY
– Selfless⁴⁵ (@SelflessCricket) 16 May 2026
🚨Shubman Gill having fun with Sunil Narine during drinks break. ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/GqjjnIp16M
– Ahmed says (@AhmedGT_) 16 May 2026
Incredible from Gujarat, they have not sent Jason Holder but an injured Sai Sudarshan with an RRR of 20? #KKRvsGT
– Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) 16 May 2026
See also: Mohammed Siraj clean bowls Ajinkya Rahane in KKR vs GT IPL 2026 clash
