Gujarat Titans continued their winning form in the Indian Premier League 2026 as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets. It was Kolkata Knight Riders who were put into bat and they lost three quick wickets and were in all sorts of trouble in the powerplay. Rovman Powell and Cameon Green stitched a partnership to bring them back in the game. Cameron Green smashed a half century and played an excellent innings but he could not find much support from the other end as KKR were bowled out for 180 in the first innings. Gujarat Titans got off to a blazing start in the power play and put themselves in a dominant position. Shubman Gill scored a terrific half century as Gujarat chased down the target with 5 wickets spare.

Ajinkya Rahane | KKR captain:

As you said, it’s never easy to come out and talk immediately after losing a game. But I’d like to focus on the positives. The way we started, losing three wickets early, it was tough. Cameron Green’s innings was outstanding, he was under pressure, but the way he counterattacked and took on their bowlers was amazing to see. At 147 for 4, getting to around 180 was slightly difficult for us as a batting unit. But credit to our bowlers, the way they bowled and took the game till the last over, everyone contributed really well. I thought he (Gill) batted really well. The lengths we bowled were slightly on the shorter side, and the ball was coming onto the bat nicely when pitched up. There was also a bit of dew. But again, no excuses, 180 was a decent total. We needed wickets in the powerplay, but they batted beautifully. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill were excellent. The powerplay was crucial, but I still want to credit our bowlers. It’s not easy when things aren’t going your way, but they kept coming back and pushing hard. He (Green) was actually struggling with cramps, which is why he was in and out of the field. That’s the reason he didn’t bowl. It’s all about staying in the moment. When things aren’t going your way, you tend to overthink. We just need to focus on the present, go out there, enjoy the game, and back ourselves as a unit instead of worrying about things beyond our control. As a team, we just want to play our game, be aggressive and positive from ball one.

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Kagiso Rabada:

Yeah, that's 100% the way the game plays out. Today, I didn't feel like I bowled particularly well, but the outcome was what you would take on any day. So that's just the nature of the beast. (Leaving your ego back in the dressing room as a fast bowler. Do you agree with that?) Yeah, 100%, especially, playing in India as a fast bowler can be a little bit challenging at times. Yeah, the way the game has just moved forward, you have to try and find ways to keep up with the game, but at the same time, kind of accept where you felt like you actually did well and take the outcome out of it.(Did you do anything differently as a bowler for that type of penetration?) No, not really. I think the pitch was just a bit different. I don't know. I guess players can take the credit. You know, you still have to put the ball in a decent area. I'm just glad that things went my way. (What do you think is crucial in terms of having in your kit bag as a bowler?) Well, there's far less margin for error. And with the impact player, you know, the batting line-ups get lengthened too. So... the margin for error is a lot smaller. So I think it's important not to be too hard on yourself. The more you keep doing good things, the results will go your way. (How has it been leading this attack?) Yeah, I mean, opening the bowling with Siraj, I've played against him in for so many years, but it's awesome to see how well he's doing and Prasidh, Purple Cap holder, and I think last year he was too, if I'm not mistaken, or right up there. So I think as a bowling attack, we're doing really well. And I Ashok stepping up and bowling some crucial overs and trusting his skill and his ability in crucial times. I guess that's why he's been successful and I guess that's why we've been successful thus far as a bowling attack. So I guess hopefully we can do the same and keep getting the same results. (How big a boost was that final over thriller against DC in turning around the season for GT?) Yeah, exactly. I mean, having lost two games in a row, I think it was, and a game that we felt that we should have won against Rajasthan. I guess sometimes you need a bit of luck and you know what they say about a cricket game. You've seen some funny things happen during cricket games, and that's another funny thing that happened against Delhi and luckily it went our way, so we'll take it and run.

Shubman Gill | GT captain and Player of the Match:

Honestly I don't think it matters, all that matters is the win. Ideally we would have liked to finish it at least a couple of overs before. I should have been there to finish it, hopefully next time I will be there. The way both of them were bowling, it felt they could get a wicket every ball, it was a decision, I asked both of them, it is very hot and it is difficult to bowl three overs on the trot. They took the game away from us in the middle overs, but it was important to still to take wickets, they have a long batting line-up, I think Sunil came in at number 9, but still to have that mindset of taking wickets is important. Fitness was one thing I worked on, apart from that working on the mental aspect of the game.

Read More: Shubman Gill Captaincy Record

Gujarat Titans now have three wins on the bounce and are looking a dangerous team. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are struggling and yet to get their first win of the IPL and the pressure is firmly on them going forward.