IPL 2026, GT vs KKR 25th Match Match Preview

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Big picture: KKR approaching the point of no return

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come to Ahmedabad knowing that anything short of a win will put them in do-or-die territory. And we’re not even close to the competition’s halfway stage.

With just one point in five games, time is running out for a team that is still figuring out its strengths. The returns from two big overseas names – Finn Allen and Cameron Green – have been minimal, and retained India internationals Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh are yet to fire.

Although the promotion of Sunil Narine as the opener in their last game was a tactical move to prevent their rivals Chennai Super Kings from building a left-arm spinner in Akeal Hosein, their thought process, from the outside, looks muddled since that decision pushed their best powerplay batsman. Ajinkya Rahane in the order down.

The bowling problems they started their season with have disappeared with Narine regaining his magical touch and the pair of Kartik Tyagi and Vaibhav Arora looking more settled, but they still need to Varun Chakraborty to bring out his best game. The opportunity to earn points is running out for KKR, and against hosts Gujarat Titans (GT), who are full of confidence after a slow start, the task will not be easy.

Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan are on their way to their smooth best while Joseph Butler regained the form he lost at the T20 World Cup. Prasidh Krishna’s short and slow deliveries kept opposition batsmen at bay in no time Rashid Khan you’ve found your mojo again after a forgettable 2025. The hosts enter the match looking for a hat-trick of wins, and two more points will take them closer to the top four.

Friday night’s game at the Narendra Modi Stadium is about one team trying to stop a free fall against a team on the rise. GT are undeniably the favourites, and KKR will have to dig deep to leave Ahmedabad with two points.

Form guide

Gujarat Titans WWLL (completed matches in IPL 2026, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LLLL

Key question

Team news: Pathirana not available

GT has no injury concerns and should field the same XII that won by seven wickets over Lucknow Super Giants. They have not used Jason Holder this season and preferred continuity.

Gujarat Titans (probably

Matheesha Pathirana has received his NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket but he will not be available for this match due to logistical reasons.

Kolkata Knight Riders (probably

Spotlight: Prasidh Krishna and Rinku Singh

Prasidh Krishna he has quietly carved a niche for himself this season with his slow-and-short deliveries to difficult batsmen. In both GT’s wins, those deliveries played a key role, and those lengths work well in the big square boundaries in Ahmedabad. He is also the season’s joint-highest wicket-taker and bowled out both Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada for GT.

Rinku Singh was elevated to KKR vice-captain at the start of the season, but that elevation did not translate into runs. In four innings he has hit just one six, and his strike rate of 120 is far from his best. With KKR’s season slipping away, Rinku needs to produce an emphatic innings if the opportunity arises. Can he regain his form on the ground where he once hit five straight sixes in the 20th over?

Statistics and trivia

  • Anukul Roy’s left-arm orthodox spin could be a match against Buttler. The batsman had a strike rate of 92 against left-arm finger-spin from 1 January 2026 until the end of the T20 World Cup. He was also dismissed four times (out of ten dismissals) by left-arm finger spin in that period.
  • Across every era of the IPL, Narine has bowled an economy below every other spinner in matches in which he has featured. Since 2023, the highest scoring era in IPL history, his economy of 7.39 is still 0.78 better than the other spinners in the same matches.
  • Rashid Khan’s economy of 6.9 in IPL 2026 is his best in GT colours. In GT’s wins, Rashid’s economy was 7.0. In GT’s losses it goes up to 8.4.

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first match on sheet no. 6 at Narendra Modi Stadium. During the T20 World Cup, it was an excellent wicket to bat on with pacers generating extra bounce when they hit the deck hard. There is some swing early on but it fades just as quickly. Spinners shouldn’t expect much help. Win toss, chase total should be the default.

Quotes

“The IPL is a very tough tournament. It’s very difficult to stay consistent for a long period of time. We do a lot of things well, we work hard in training, we do as much as possible to prepare ourselves for the games. Obviously, every team is very strong in their own right and we go there and try our best on any given day and hopefully we bring some results as well.
GT’s Glen Phillips to be consistent in the IPL

“I had shin splints, which were recurring when I tried to start playing again. So I took a break for one year to figure out why it was happening again and again. I had to change my run-up and then worked on myself to become a better bowler. Playing at this level and improving myself is the only thing on my mind.”
Kartik Tyagi upon his return from injury

Sreshth Shah is a sub editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx



Louis Jones

Louis Jones

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