Gujarat Titans won the toss and sent KKR batting first in Eden Gardens. Although KKR couldn’t utilise the powerplay at best with their skipper Ajinkya Rahane falling early as a regular scene, just scoring 14 off 14 balls, things turned 360 as Finn Allen took the lead to smash GT bowlers. Angkrish Raghuvanshi was just a part of the spectators from the non-striker end as Finn Allen created chaos in Kolkata. Later, Angkrish Raghuvanshi too started hitting the ball out of the park, showing no mercy to poor GT bowling. Green was handy too, but Finn's 93 off 35 balls and Raghuvanshi’s 82 off 44 helped KKR to post 247 with the loss of two wickets.
In reply, the Gujarat Titans have not been that aggressive as Sai Sudharsan retired hurt and then Gill and Buttler, although on crease with 9 wickets in hand, yet didn’t quite blow things up. Things got spicier as the momentum shifted on Kartik Tyagi’s 18th over as Buttler hit runs. The momentum could have been anyone’s, but the twist came with Saurabh Dube’s penultimate over under pressure, where he just gave 5 runs and also took Buttler’s wicket. That was truly an exceptional over that brought KKR right into the game.
Saurabh Dubey was signed by the KKR as an injury replacement for Akash Deep in the 2026 IPL season. The 28-year-old left-arm medium-fast bowler from Vidarbha was brought into the squad for ₹30 Lakh. He debuted for KKR in their last game against RCB, replacing Varun Chakravarthy as he was injured and was also promising in his approach.
Early career of Saurabh Dubey- all you need to know
Saurabh Dubey was born in Wardha, Maharashtra. With a height of 6'5", he is highly regarded for his steep bounce and natural left-arm swing. He represents Vidarbha in domestic cricket and has quietly built his career in the domestic circuit.
He was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad in 2022 but was ruled out early due to injury.
Dream moment for Saurabh Dubey 💜🔥 Gets his maiden T20 wicket and it’s the massive scalp of Jos Buttler 😮💨#TATAIPL Race To Playoffs 2026 ➡️ #KKRvGT | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/CRwulMlbwZ pic.twitter.com/tLrhJdnhcG
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 16, 2026
Before his KKR call-up, his domestic experience consisted of 8 List A matches (where he picked up 16 wickets at an average of 23.21) and limited T20 domestic showings for the Orange Tigers. That definitely brought him into the limelight.
He first made news on the national stage in 2019 when he served as India's highest wicket-taker in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
