KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and chose to field first. The reigning champions made two changes to their lineup, bringing in Moeen Ali and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje. They aimed to challenge Gujarat Titans’ in-form openers by introducing spin early in the powerplay.
However, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill looked as dominant as ever. Both scored half-centuries and registered the second 100+ opening partnership of the season. After the crafty left-hander was dismissed, Gill took charge and accelerated the innings. He fell just 10 runs short of a century, caught by Rinku Singh off Vaibhav Arora’s bowling. Thanks to some late hits from Jos Buttler and Shahrukh Khan in the final over, GT posted a total of 198.
Chasing a daunting target of 199, KKR needed a strong start. However, Gurbaz, playing his first match of the season, was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj. Sunil Narine also fell shortly after hitting a few boundaries. As the required run rate began to climb, captain Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer were under pressure to accelerate. While Rahane managed to reach his fifty, Iyer struggled and was dismissed for just 14 runs off 19 balls.
Unfortunately, things got even worse for KKR as Rahane was stumped by Buttler. With 85 runs needed off the last 30 balls, Andre Russell and Rinku were still at the crease. However, once the big West Indian fell to Rashid Khan, the contest was all but over. Impact sub Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a quickfire knock of 27 off 13 balls, but it wasn’t enough. GT now moves to the top of the table with 12 points from 8 matches.
Fans react to the Gujarat Titans’ win over the Kolkata Knight Riders on their ground in the 39th match of IPL 2025
Given GT’s outstanding form this season, fans expected this result. They praised the Titans’ dominant performance and were impressed with Gill’s captaincy. While some fans trolled the reigning champions, others felt confident that the 2022 IPL champions would comfortably make it to the playoffs.
One fan remarked that Gill’s leadership has improved significantly. Another pointed out that Hardik Pandya’s departure hasn’t affected the team at all. Many also praised GT coach Ashish Nehra for mentoring Gill. Here are some of the top fan reactions:
One user felt that Gill could be the next Virat Kohli. Another pointed out that the Titans seem to have control over everything—whether it’s the Orange Cap, the Purple Cap, or their position on the points table. Many fans also trolled Rinku for his underwhelming performances this season. Some even believed that Gill could be a future captain of Team India.