Gujarat Titans continue their winning streak as they defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in Match 39 of TATA IPL 2023. The match was played at the Eden Gardens on 29th April 2023. After winning the toss, Gujarat Titans opted to bowl first. The bowlers got off to a good start as N Jagadeesan got out cheaply. However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz counter-attacked and smashed two sixes off Hardik Pandya. Shardul Thakur was sent in at No.3, but he fell to Mohd. Shami off the last ball of the over, leaving Kolkata Knight Riders at 61/2 after the Powerplay.
Gurbaz, however, kept the momentum going and completed his fifty in just 27 balls. Kolkata Knight Riders' hopes of posting a big total were dashed when Josh Little picked up two quick wickets, dismissing Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana. Gurbaz, however, kept hitting sixes and fours and completed his innings with 89 runs off 46 balls, helping his team set a target of 180 runs.
In response, Gujarat Titans' opening batsman Shubman Gill got his team off to a good start, hitting seven fours in the Powerplay. Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill had a partnership of 50 runs. However, Harshit Rana broke the partnership by dismissing Pandya, and Narine dismissed Gill. David Miller then hit two consecutive sixes off Suyash Sharma to accumulate 18 runs from the over, bringing Gujarat Titans back into the game.
Vijay Shankar's knock of 51* off 24 balls turned the game in favor of Gujarat Titans. He hammered three sixes off Varun Chakaravarthy in one over to amass 24 runs, leaving Kolkata Knight Riders in disarray. Shankar remained unbeaten, and Gujarat Titans chased down the target with 13 balls and seven wickets to spare.
Mohd. Shami was the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat Titans, picking up three wickets for 33 runs. Gurbaz was declared Player of the Match for his fantastic innings. With this win, Gujarat Titans climbed to the top of the table.