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IPL 2023 KKR vs GT: Shankar, Miller ace a competitive chase against KKR

For his effective economical spell, Joshua Little was adjudged Player of the Match.

In the 39th fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Gujarat Titans (GT) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. With this victory, GT once again grabbed the top position in the points table.

The Titans’ skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and invited the hosts to bat first, and KKR had put up a very formidable total on the scoreboard, all courtesy of a brilliant knock from the Afghani batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz and some blazing hits from Andre Russell. 

In response, GT had a very attacking start, as Shubman Gill (49) along with Wriddhiman Saha (10) came up with a strong intent to empower this chase on a very high note. The Kolkata-based outfit drew the first blood in the powerplay, as Russell got rid of Saha in the fifth over. Then the skipper Pandya (26) came to the field and steered the innings with Gill, but there were slight hiccups in the middle of the chase, as both the batters got out in successive overs, which paved the way for the Nitish Rana-led side to make a comeback. But, David Miller (32) * and Vijay Shankar (51)* had some other ideas, and helped their team to chase the total in 17.5 overs. 

While setting the target, KKR had come up with a strong mindset to set up a very competitive total to fight on. Gurbaz (81) was the main catalyst, as he was the highest scorer for his team, and was striking the ball perfectly from the beginning. Kolkata lost its first wicket in the form of Narayan Jagadeesan (19) in the third over. Shardul Thakur was promoted in the order but failed as he got out for a duck. The southpaw batter, Venkatesh Iyer (11) was not able to stay on the crease and steered the innings. In the end, some strong hitting from the Caribbean player, Russell (34) had helped KKR to put up a score of 179/7 in 20 overs. 

For the Ahmedabad-based outfit, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, and Noor Ahmad were the shining spots. Shami scalped three wickets, and on the other hand, Little and Noor scalped two wickets each.

For KKR, Harshit Rana, Russell, and Sunil Narine got one wicket each. 

For his effective economical spell, Joshua Little was adjudged Player of the Match. He got two wickets by spending 25 runs in his four overs quota with an economy of 6.2.

Scorecard

Kolkata Knight Riders: 179/7, Overs 20, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 81, Mohammed Shami 3/33

Gujarat Titans: 180/3, Overs 17.5, Vijay Shankar 51, Sunil Narine 1/24

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