🏏IPL 2026: KKR vs GT, 25th Match, Ahmedabad, 17th April 7:30pm IST🏏 - Page 3

Points table---

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad to host games on

• April 17, 2026 – Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders
• April 20, 2026 – Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians
• April 26, 2026- Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings
• April 30, 2026- Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
• May 3, 2026- Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings
• May 12, 2026- Gujarat Titans vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Gujarat Titans’ away games

• April 24, 2026- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans- M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
• May 9, 2026- Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans- Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
• May 16, 2026- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
• May 21, 2026: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans- M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Kolkata's upcoming fixtures

Eden Gardens, Kolkata to host games on

• April 19, 2026- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
• May 16, 2026- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans
• May 20, 2026- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians
• May 24, 2026- Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals

Kolkata Knight Riders’ away games

• April 17, 2026- Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
• April 26, 2026- Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
• May 3, 2026- Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
• May 8, 2026- Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
• May 13, 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders- Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

The Cam Green conundrum

Kolkata’s Rs 25.20 crore signing Cameron Green hasn’t had the best of starts in the IPL, failing to fire with the bat as well as the ball. However, KKR bowling coach Tim Southee reckons, the big Australian will bounce back eventually.

“He has not had the start he would’ve liked but he’s obviously a quality player,” bowling coach Tim Southee said after their latest loss to the Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk Stadium on Tuesday.

“He has not had a lot of cricket leading to the IPL. Of all people, he’ll be the most disappointed himself the way he’s started. But he’s a great cricketer and I’m sure he’ll bounce back at some stage in this tournament.”

Follow the story of Sunil Narine

The frantic phone calls Gautam Gambhir made to the KKR team management before the 2012 IPL auction had a request on the loop: “Even if you buy just one player, make sure it’s Sunil Narine.” To muttering sceptics, the KKR captain, himself a masterful destroyer of spinners, reasoned: “I couldn’t read his variations. I had no clue!”

The management eventually relented; their hot pursuit ended with a $7million cheque handed to the Trinidadian. Narine’s impact was instant, he orchestrated multiple title triumphs, chimed in with pinch-hitting at the top of the order, and 14 years on, remains a plummeting KKR’s bulwark.

The man Gambhir saw then is not the man he is now. He has sold his mystery, and the knuckleball with a cock-screw twist of his fingers remains the only vestige of his cryptic past; he has changed his action more frequently than the posh cars in his garage. He once held the ball over his head in his right hand, offering the batsman a good view of his grip, throwing a challenge, “read me if you can” as he whistled into the crease.

Rahane on tenterhooks

KKR’s indifferent season has coincided with Ajinkya Rahane’s own struggles with the bat. While he has refreshingly been among the top Powerplay batters in the league since last year, Rahane’s concerns against attacking spin and the middle-overs have been too large to ignore.

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has questioned Rahane’s spot in the XI as captain, insisting that he would ideally take a call over the Mumbaikar over the next few games.

“I’ll give Ajinkya Rahane one or two chances more. If nothing changes, I’ll drop him also and make Sunil Narine the captain midway through the season. Rahane should come into bat only if necessary. Else let him only captain the side. He shouldn’t bat in the middle. 20. Making him the captain was the wrong move in the first place. But do they have the courage to make a strong move of dropping him now?” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

Win or bust for KKR - It’s been a nightmare start for the three-time champions. Despite having explosive talents like Sunil Narine, Cameron Green, and Rinku Singh, the team has failed to click as a unit. Their pace department, in the absence of the frontline seamers and led by Vaibhav Arora, has been expensive, and the batting lineup lacks a settled feel.

Captain Ajinkya Rahane faces a monumental task to inspire a squad that is yet to open its account in the 2026 season. The pressure is mounting and the Knights need to deliver a comprehensive team effort, which has been lacking. They do have the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who are in form with the bat, but someone like Finn Allen needs to spend more time at the top and the likes of Cameron Green and Rinku Singh both need to fire in order to give some cushion to their pace attack.

What to expect from the conditions?
The Narendra Modi Stadium typically offers a batting-friendly surface with an average first-innings score of 178. The track is expected to be flat and consistent early on, favoring stroke makers. However, history suggests the pitch slows down as the match progresses, allowing spinners like Rashid Khan and Varun Chakravarthy to become decisive factors in the second half of the innings.

Predictions?

On paper, this should be a game that captivates the fans but given the current form, hosts Gujarat Titans do start as favorites. However, Kolkata Knight Riders have some special memories of this venue, especially when Rinku Singh struck those five sixes in the final over to take KKR over the line in one of the all-time steals of the tournament and KKR might also be bolstered by the presence of Matheesha Pathirana. GT's top-order and their bowling attack once again will be crucial but their middle order does need to start firing if the Titans are to transform themselves into a serious title contender. Who do you think will come out on top?

Thank u for tags Soni.
That reminded me to submit my predictions

Thanks for the tag Soni