Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill was blunt after his side’s 29-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2026 match on Saturday. Gill blamed his team’s poor fielding and said they “didn’t deserve to win” after too many dropped catches.
GT had a poor outing in the field where they spilled easy chances, including giving a reprieve to Finn Allen, who struck a blazing 93 to power KKR to a massive 247 for 2. On a batting track at Eden Gardens, GT put up a great chase but fell short, ending their five-match winning run.
“Looking at the wicket, 200-210 was par score but we dropped too many catches. Pitch was good, the odd one was stopping but I felt we batted well to get to the score we did. No concerns but our fielding could’ve been a lot better,” Gill said after the match.
“We set a certain standard and dropping three sitters – we didn’t deserve to win this one. Looking at it that way, best to have a game like this now than in the Qualifiers.”
Allen made the most of the dropped chances and played a stunning innings, hammering 10 sixes and four boundaries. Angkrish Raghuvanshi added to the carnage with a quickfire 82 off 44 balls, hitting seven sixes and four fours. Cameron Green also played a valuable knock of 52 from just 28 deliveries.
KKR skipper Rahane was happy with the two points and credited the batters and the bowlers for backing their strengths.
“Really happy with two points. The way we started with the bat (despite) losing the toss. Amazing to see Finn Allen’s knock. Preparation always has been fantastic. The talk was always to take it one game at a time. Today the batters backed their strengths,” he said.
“Overall it was a fantastic effort from the bowling unit. It’s all about trusting their ability. Whenever you do well in domestic cricket, you carry that confidence.
“(Saurabh) Dubey has been bowling well in the Vidarbha league. Credit goes to these guys. It’s all about belief and confidence. (Sunil) Narine makes my job really easy. Varun (Chakaravarthy) showed the courage to play this game. He has a sore foot.”
Varun returned to KKR’s playing XI after missing the last match due to a hairline toe fracture. Meanwhile, Sunil Narine, playing his 200th IPL game, returned excellent figures of 2 for 29 and was also named Player of the Match.
“It comes with hard work. Guys have been training really well, putting in the hard yards and it’s showing. Hope it continues no matter what the tournament has in store for us.
“It’s all about planning what is in front of you. Every game brings a different challenge. All about trying to win the scenarios and try not to overthink. Being a senior guy and God given me the talent and health to play 200, hopefully I play many more,” said Narine.
