Ajinkya Rahane-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locked horns with the Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 39th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
At their home ground – Eden Gardens in Kolkata – the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost against the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 39 runs on Monday, April 21.
Also Read: IPL Points Table, Orange Cap, Purple Cap After KKR vs GT Match 39- IPL 2025
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When you are chasing 199, you expect a good opening start with the batters – Ajinkya Rahane
KKR won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match. They were unable to dismiss the top 3 of GT early and ended up conceding 198 runs in 20 overs, with Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, and Andre Russell picking up one wicket each.
Chasing the target, Ajinkya Rahane (50 off 36) was the only good performer in the innings, and others struggled badly, resulting in KKR being restricted to 159/8.
Speaking after the match, Ajinkya Rahane said that 199 was a gettable score, but the failure ofthe openers played a major role in their loss. He said:
“I thought 199 was chaseable, we came back into the game really well with the ball. When you are chasing 199, you expect good opening start with the batters, that’s where we are struggling throughout this tournament.”
“I thought 199 chaseable on this wicket, we bowled really well, we faltered with our batting. We need to learn as quickly as possible and keep going.”
Notably, Rahane seemingly blamed Sunil Narine for KKR’s struggles as he has been unable to replicate his success as a batter from last year.
We know these conditions really well, we need to bat properly – Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane added that the pitch was a good one, and they needed to bat properly to get the result they wanted. He stated:
“It was little slow, but we thought if we get them below 200, it’ll be really good. We know these conditions really well, we need to bat properly, we need to bat well in the middle overs, that’s where we are struggling. When you’re chasing a big target, you expect a good start with the opening batters. That’s what we are looking to get better, as a batting unit, no complains with our bowlers.”
Ajinkya Rahane further expressed his satisfaction over the bowling performance of KKR, but urged batters to be braver.
“Fielding is a part I always believe we can control as a team. If you can save 10-15 runs on the field. That’s always better. You’ve got to be switched on; that’s where we are lacking. This format is about being brave. You need to learn from the mistakes.
“As a batting unit, you got to be brave and take the positive mindset. It’s just a matter of time, we’ve got quality batters in the middle order and I back them completely. Angkrish has been batting really well. Today we pushed the other boys to get the run-rate going up,” Ajinkya Rahane said.
How did KKR perform in their previous completed IPL match against GT?
The previous IPL match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Gujarat Titans was washed out. Talking about the game before that, which took place on April 29, 2023, KKR hosted GT at Eden Gardens in the 39th match of IPL 2023 and faced a seven-wicket defeat.
Batting first in the match, Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s stunning 81 runs off 39 deliveries helped KKR post a good total of 179/7 on the board. Gurbaz dominated the GT attack, and despite the failures of Narayan Jagadeesan, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Rinku Singh, he took his team to a respectable score.
Only Andre Russell supported him as he slammed a brilliant 34 runs off 19 balls in the death overs. For the Titans, Mohammed Shami (3/33), Josh Little (2/25), and Noor Ahmad (2/21) emerged as the top performers, and they troubled KKR a lot.
Defending the score, KKR found early hope with wickets from Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Sunil Narine, but they couldn’t stop Vijay Shankar and David Miller from dominating with the bat. KKR bowlers tried their best, but the score was never going to be defended, and the run chase was completed in 17.5 overs.
