The clash between Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad was called off without a ball being bowled, marking the first abandoned game of the IPL 2024 season. The adverse weather conditions, characterized by lightning and heavy rain, rendered the ground unsuitable for play, leaving both teams unable to compete.

Confirmation of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Top-Two Finish

The abandonment of the match confirmed Kolkata Knight Riders’ top-two finish in the league stage of the IPL 2024. With a commanding net run rate of 1.428 after 12 games, KKR’s tally of 19 points further solidified their position at the top of the table. This achievement underscores KKR’s dominance throughout the season, positioning them as strong contenders for the title.

See Also: IPL 2024: RCB suffer major setback ahead of crucial game vs CSK

Gujarat Titans’ Elimination from Playoff Contention

For Gujarat Titans, the abandoned match dealt a severe blow to their playoff aspirations, ultimately leading to their elimination from contention. Placed eighth in the standings, GT required a victory to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. However, the adverse weather conditions thwarted their chances, ending their IPL 2024 campaign on a disappointing note.

This is the first time that GT have not qualified for the IPL playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season. They have a consolation game against Sunrisers Hyderabad next on May 16.

KKR’s Next Aim

For KKR, their next aim is to finish the league stage at No. 1, something they have never achieved before. If they beat Rajasthan Royals in their last league game on Sunday, they are assured of that. They would also be assured of No. 1 if RR fail to collect two wins in their last two matches, which includes the KKR fixture.

Monday’s game could’ve given KKR a chance to ease Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the wicketkeeper-batter, into the XI. Gurbaz is the likely replacement in their XI once Phil Salt leaves to join his national team camp.

Even if KKR do not finish first, they wouldn’t mind it much. The only two times they finished second on the IPL points table (2012 and 2014), they ended up as IPL champions.

As Gujarat Titans gear up to face Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 63 of IPL 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, all eyes are on the weather, whose unpredictable whims threaten to disrupt the highly anticipated encounter.

Match Preview: Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders

The clash between Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders promises to be thrilling, with both teams vying for crucial points in the IPL standings. Every match carries immense significance as the tournament enters its decisive phase, amplifying the excitement and tension surrounding each fixture.

See Also: Rohit Sharma likely to retire from T20Is after WC, Hardik selected under ‘Pressure’: Reports

Ahmedabad’s weather has always been known for its fickleness; today is no exception. With dark clouds looming overhead and occasional spells of rain, the conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium remain uncertain, casting a shadow of doubt over the match’s fate.

Current Conditions: Rain Looms Over Narendra Modi Stadium

At 7:50 pm, A fair-sized crowd at the venue, but like us, they have been kept waiting, too. The remaining floodlights are yet to be switched on, and the centre is under covers because the rain seems to have become heavier. Before this, slight drizzle descends upon the stadium, prompting officials to cover the pitch and outfield. Despite efforts to shield the ground from the elements, the threat of further rain persists, keeping spectators and players alike on edge.

Stakes for Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders

Both Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders understand the significance of this encounter, with crucial playoff spots at stake. While a victory for Kolkata Knight Riders would solidify their position at the top of the table, Gujarat Titans are desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

What if the Match is Washed Out?

A washout would spell disaster for Gujarat Titans, ending their playoff aspirations. With both teams receiving one point each in the event of a no-result, Gujarat Titans would be left with an insurmountable mountain to climb in their quest for a top-four finish.

The fate of Gujarat Titans hangs in the balance as they anxiously await a break in the weather. With their playoff hopes teetering on the brink, the team is banking on a stroke of luck and a change in fortune to turn the tide in their favour.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Perspective

For Kolkata Knight Riders, a washout would offer a welcome reprieve as they seek to consolidate their position at the summit of the IPL standings. With a victory guaranteeing their place in the playoffs, the team remains focused and determined amidst the weather-induced uncertainty.

The significance of this encounter cannot be overstated, with both teams fully aware of the implications of a potential washout. As the clock ticks down and the weather continues to play spoilsport, the tension mounts and nerves are frayed on both sides.

39th Match, IPL: Gujarat Titans 180 for 3 (Vijay 51*, Gill 49, Miller 32*) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 179 for 7 (Gurbaz 81, Russell 34, Shami 3-33, Noor 2-21, Josh Little 2-25) by seven wickets

In place of Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 81 off 39 runs against his former team, Gujarat Titans. However, Kolkata Knight Riders only managed to score 179 runs, which the Titans overcame with 13 balls left, despite a scare in the middle overs.

Gurbaz was thrilling particularly in his takedown of Rashid Khan, who went for at least 50 for just the second time in the IPL, however the main help he got was from Andre Russell, who scored 34 off 19 at the passing. Noor Ahmad accounted for the Afghan presence with 4-0-21-2, including the wicket of Gurbaz, after Josh Little tied them down in the middle overs, resulting in wickets.

After two quick wickets in the middle overs threatened to turn this into a thriller, Shubman Gill, a former Knight Rider, set up the chase, which Vijay Shankar and David Miller finished off in style.

Shami with early strikes

The match began 45 minutes late due to a short shower. The Titans changed their minds and decided to bowl because of the thunderous rumble at the time of the toss. Mohammed Shami discovered seam movement as the pitch was spiced up. He bowled through the powerplay to dismiss N Jagadeesan and Shardul Thakur, who was promoted and is returning.

Gurbaz plays a different game

Indeed, even as the others battled to hit limits, Gurbaz middled nearly all that and continued to hit to where the defenders weren’t. He started with a pick-up pull on Hardik Pandya and then did a wristy pick-up six on him.

The attack on Rashid, a fellow citizen, may have been the most impressive, opening up space, selecting his variations, and striking him to the ground for 30 out of 11. He was unable to be slowed down by the middle overs.

Josh Little slows KKR down

Josh Little turned things around for the Titans after Rashid was taken for a lot. He just removed additional skip from hard lengths to baffle the hitters. His seventh and ninth overs, which went for just 10, went for 10. Toward the beginning of his third, Venkatesh Iyer felt obliged to play a low-rate shot, and was out lbw. In the equivalent over, Nitish Rana tracked down in reverse point with a cut.

This is the point at which the appearance of Rinku Singh, legend of the last match against Titans yet under a run a ball against turn in the IPL, dialed Knight Riders further back. Ultimately, Gurbaz tumbled to a Noor Ahmad full throw having got just 54 off 53 from the opposite end, including additional items.

Knight Riders were only kept in the game by a late burst from Russell, who admitted in an interview from the sidelines that they were 20 short.

Gill launches the chase

Gill’s bat made the ball sound like gunshots, giving the impression that the Knight Riders were much more than 20 runs behind. He didn’t even try to hit a six as he raced to 35 off 20 on the powerplay. He was dominant, scoring 44 of the first 70 runs, like Gurbaz.

KKR spinners refuse to go down

The Knight Riders spinners brought them back into the contest with some tight overs, not for the first time. Similarly as Hardik opened up, he got a peach from Harshit Rana, filling in for the injured Umesh Yadav. Having taken 10 balls to go from 40 to 49, Gill attempted to hit Sunil Narine for a six, however wound up giving him his most memorable wicket in six matches.

As Vijay and Miller absorbed some dots to make it 69 required off the final six, a grandstand finish appeared likely.

Don’t take it deep

Because early pursuits do not involve drama, the advantages of deep pursuits are frequently discussed. In the end, Miller and Vijay decided against absorbing three more overs of spin and waiting for some pace. Miller’s two sixes in the first match against Suyash Sharma sped up the return of pace. After hitting a six off Russell, Vijay got into the act, taking out his Tamil Nadu teammate Varun Chakravarthy with three sixes in the 17th over. Before you understood, he was raising his fifty in only 24 balls, and Titans were back on top of the table with six successes out of eight.

KKR vs GT Match Preview

The Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans square off at Eden Gardens on Saturday afternoon. The Knight Riders have won three of their eight games and are currently seventh in the table. Gujarat Titans have only lost two games this season and have accumulated 10 points. Kolkata Knight Riders are now looking up the table after ending a run of defeats with a win in their most recent game. In this game, however, they will face one of the tournament’s strongest teams. Gujarat Titans continue to play with the expectation of winning the IPL in 2022. They will not be afraid to take on Kolkata in this match.

KKR vs GT Match Details

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans – 39th Match

Venue: Eden Gardens – Kolkata

Date & Time: 29th April 2023 at 03:30 PM IST 

Live Streaming: Jio Cinema

KKR vs GT Venue Stats

KKR vs GT Pitch Report

This will be the 82nd IPL game at Eden Gardens, which usually has something for both bowlers and batters. A par score will not exceed 175.

KKR vs GT Weather Report

The forecast calls for cloudy skies on Saturday afternoon, but rain is unlikely. Throughout the match, the temperature will be in the mid-30s.

KKR vs GT Last Five Matches

KKR vs GT Head-to-Head Stats

Injury News

No Injury. Will be added when there is an update.

KKR vs GT Probable Playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders Probable Playing XIs

Jason Roy, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, David Wiese, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

Gujarat Titans Probable Playing XIs

Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad

Topmost Picks for KKR vs GT Dream11 Prediction:

Top Picks – Kolkata Knight Riders

• Jason Roy – The English opener has top scored for Kolkata Knight Riders in all of his three appearances since being called up to the side.
• Varun Chakravarthy – The spinner took crucial middle order wickets on Wednesday. He dismissed Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik.

Top Picks – Gujarat Titans

• Shubman Gill – With an average of 40.57 from his seven innings in the IPL 2023, it has been another successful competition for the stylish right-handed batter.
• Rashid Khan – No bowler has taken more wickets in the tournament than the Afghanistan spinner and he is averaging a dismissal every 12 balls.

Suggested Playing XI N0.1 for KKR vs GT Dream11 Team:

Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya(C), Andre Russell, Rashid Khan(VC), Mohammed Shami, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy

Suggested Playing XI N0.2 for KKR vs GT Dream11 Team:

Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill(C), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Jason Roy(VC), David Miller, Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy

Captain and Vice-Captain Options:

Captain – Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill

Vice-captain – Rashid Khan, Jason Roy

Wicketkeeper – Wriddhiman Saha

R vs GT Probable Winners:

The Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to make it two wins in a row in this match. Jason Roy, who has been playing excellent attacking innings, will be a key player, and the longer he is at the crease, the better the chance Kolkata Knight Riders have of winning the game. However, Gujarat Titans are a very strong team in all departments, and we expect them to win this match. Considering the team combination, Gujarat Titans are expected to win this match.

Kolkata are back to winning ways as they take on the opponent which saw the rise of Rinku Singh, the finisher. The last game between the two sides was as see-saw as it could get. Now though, with Gujarat in good form with the ball, Kolkata could have a greater challenge in the upcoming fixture.

KKR vs GT Match Details

Date: April 29th 2023

Time:  3:30 PM IST

Venue: Kolkata

KKR vs GT Weather Report

A warm evening is expected at Kolkata.

KKR vs GT Pitch Report

The Eden Gardens track has helped the spinners as batting first could be a better option given the recent trends of results.

KKR vs GT Head-to-Head

KKR vs GT Predicted Playing XII

GT Playing XI

Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharshan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma

KKR Playing XI

Narayan Jagadeesan, Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer/Suyash Sharma, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, David Wiese, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

KKR vs GT Key Players

Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma has come back to the IPL strongly. He has been finding his special hard length at the death. His variations are working nicely as he returns to his peak days where he was once a key bowler in the death for the Punjab Kings, and a key bowler up front for the Chennai Super Kings.

Jason Roy

Jason Roy has been providing KKR with the intent they were looking for upfront. He is scoring really well, and has been pretty consistent, allowing the KKR line-up to look a lot more dangerous with some dangerous stroke makers behind him.

GT’s Top Five Batters This Season

KKR’s Top Five Batters This Season

GT’s Top Five Bowlers This Season

KKR’s Top Five Bowlers This Season

Match-ups to Watch out For

Nitish Rana vs Gujarat’s Pacers: Nitish Rana’s weakness towards the short-ball is very well known. With three pacers capable of cranking it up in Gujarat’s line-up, Rana will have his work cut out as KKR will want him in for a while to provide middle-order stability.

KKR vs GT Match Tips

Despite last encounters results, Gujarat come in as favorites with their balance and superior batting line-up.

Match Prediction: Gujarat Titans Will Win the Match

Much before Rinku Singh had pulled off an electrifying heist in Ahmedabad with his five back to back sixes to direct Kolkata Knight Riders to a three-wicket win in IPL 2023 against Gujarat Titans, Twitter had gone swirling watching an uncommon thump from Vijay Shankar which reignited recollections from 2019 World Cup. 

Shankar had hit a dazzling unbeaten thump of 63 that directed GT to their very first 200 or more aggregate. Ravi Shastri, a former India coach, also made a powerful “World Cup selection” comment about the all-rounder after the injury.

Vijay Shankar had made his case for a spot in the 2019 World Cup team four years ago, following an impressive run in limited-overs play

This eventually led to a huge controversy, as the much-favored Ambati Rayudu was dropped from consideration. Shankar’s World Cup experience and international career both ended in disappointment.

The all-rounder, on the other hand, is back with three impressive runs. Shankar stunned everyone on Sunday with his unbeaten 63 off just 24 balls, which included five sixes and four boundaries, after scoring 56 runs in the first two innings of IPL 2023.

After the innings, Shastri, who was the lead trainer during that 2019 World Cup competition, reviewed Shankar’s choice and saw a closeness in form.

“The fact that Vijay was picked for the World Cup is because he had this kind of talent. And I am glad that he has gone back, worked hard, and not given up. You know he has had some tough times, he has had an operation as well, but he has come back strong,” .

Shastri said while speaking on Star Sports

“Beautiful hitting today because he is a clean striker of the ball, he has got a wide range of shots and, because of his reach and height, he can hit the ball a long, long way. Great to see. This is the strength of the Gujarat Titans. They have got some power hitters in the back end of the innings. So if they get off to a good start then they are a very dangerous side at the back end of the innings,”

he added.

Even though Shankar is unlikely to play for India again, a miraculous turn of events in IPL 2023 could see him do so.

Preview

KKR vs GT: After five days and a thriller to take them to ten points, the Gujarat Titans are finally back in the middle. They were a part of a thriller in the previous game with David Miller and Rashid Khan carrying the team home towards the end.

KKR were on the wrong side of a thriller of their own. Their bowling failed badly but a Shreyas Iyer special got them within reach of a target of 217. They stumbled in the end as Chahal took a hat-trick and despite a fightback from Umesh Yadav, they failed to chase down the total.

Match Details

Match: KKR vs GT

Date: 23rd April 2022

Time: 3:30 PM IST

Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

Weather Report

The weather for the KKR vs GT game is clear with a few clouds. There is no rain and warm temperatures are expected during the day.

Pitch Report

The surface is dry and showing signs of spin. As it is a day game, there is more chances of the pitch wearing and spin playing a role as the game progresses.

KKR vs GT Predicted Playing XI

KKR Playing XI

Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Aman Khan, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

GT Playing XI

Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade (wk)/Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya (capt), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Darshan Nalkande, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami

Team News

Hardik Pandya is expected to be back after missing the previous game to injury.

Key Players

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer finally found some runs after spending the last few games with middling scores. He took a step forward as he marched towards a target of 217 on his own. With the other batters struggling, Shreyas Iyer will have to step up again if KKR are to get past a strong bowling line-up in the Gujarat Titans.

See Also: An intense game: Dhoni’s vintage finishing leads CSK’s win! – Cricket Winner

David Miller

David Miller bought back glimpses of his innings against Bangalore back in 2013. He stood alone and shepherded the chase until Rashid Khan came in and sealed the game for the Gujarat Titans. His form was in question before this game, but the recent knock will give him a lot of confidence as a senior finisher, leaving him as a batter to keep an eye on.

KKR vs GT Match Tips

GT are doing a fine job and are finding match-winners with each game. KKR on the other hand has a line-up full of struggling players and are coming into this game with a strong disadvantage in form.

Match Prediction: GT will win the match.