 "Captain Ajinkya Rahane' 50 off 36 balls went in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a 39-run defeat in their home game against Gujarat Titans on Monday, 21 April. AP")
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane rued the lack of strong starts at the top of the batting order while urging his teammates to be braver and have a positive mindset after the defending champions suffered a 39-run loss against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League on Monday. Rahane top-scored for his side with a knock of 50 off 36 balls at the Eden Gardens, collecting five fours and a six along the way at KKR’s home ground.
That, however, was nowhere close to being enough for his team as they could manage just 159/8. His GT counterpart Shubman Gill had earlier smashed 90 off just 55 balls, collecting 10 fours and three sixes along the way to help the visiting team post a challenging 198/3 after being asked to bat.
“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.
“It’s always about intent and attitude, you got to be switched on throughout the 20 overs, that’s where we are lacking in. But the guys are working hard. This format is always about being brave.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“As a batting unit, you got to be brave, take the chances and take the positive mindset,” Rahane added.
The Knight Riders, who are the second-most successful team in IPL history with three titles, might not have crossed 150 had it not been for Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s unbeaten 27 off 13 balls, smashing three fours and a six in the death overs after walking out to bat at No 9.
And they fell well short of the target despite replacing Quinton de Kock with Rahmanullah Gurbaz for the wicketkeeper-opener’s slot and further strengthening their batting department by replacing Anrich Nortje with Moeen Ali.
Gill highlights the importance of taking the game deep and closing it
Speaking about the Titans’ clinical performance at the Eden Gardens, his previous home ground in the IPL, Gill highlighted the importance of taking the game deep and closing it, and not just staying ahead. The opener was also pleased with his team collecting back-to-back wins, having beaten Delhi Capitals in a top-of-the-table clash in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
“Very pleased to get these two wins back to back. We just want to play our best game whenever we’re out there. We never talk about that one of us has to stay till the end. We just talk about how we can score runs in these conditions and how to take the game deep. We were ahead in the game, but it’s one thing to be ahead and another to close the game,” Gill said in the post-match presentation ceremony after receiving the Player of the Match award.
GT consolidated themselves at the top of the IPL 2025 table with their sixth win in eight outings, taking their points tally to 12 while KKR remain seventh after their fifth loss, having collected half as many points as Gill and Co.