The Eden Gardens clash between Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders had no shortage of drama, brilliance, and missed opportunities, especially when two match-defining moments unfolded involving Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. Jos Buttler, known for making the opposition pay dearly for even the smallest mistake, was handed a golden reprieve — and KKR’s Vaibhav Arora might be kicking himself for it.
In the 15th over, with GT looking to shift gears, Harshit Rana bowled a deceptive length delivery outside off. Buttler went for a big heave but mistimed it horribly, sending the ball looping into the air. Arora, stationed at mid-off, had ample time to settle under it, but to everyone’s disbelief, he dropped the sitter.
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To make matters worse, the ball trickled away to the boundary, adding insult to injury and gifting Gujarat four bonus runs. Harshit Rana, who had clearly set up the dismissal, was visibly frustrated — and rightly so. The miss proved costly as Buttler, now free from pressure, went into overdrive and punished KKR with some brutal hitting.
Jos Buttler gets dropped on 2️⃣1️⃣ by Vaibhav Arora 👀
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At the other end, it was Shubman Gill orchestrating a masterclass of timing and finesse. The Gujarat Titans captain looked in sublime touch, blending caution with aggression in a perfectly-paced innings. Alongside Sai Sudharsan, Gill stitched together a dominant opening stand and reached his third fifty of the season in just 34 deliveries.
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Eyes were firmly set on what looked like his fifth IPL century, as he batted into the 80s with elegance. But just when a ton seemed inevitable, Rinku Singh produced a moment of magic — diving forward from deep midwicket to pluck a low catch off Vaibhav Arora’s delivery, ending Gill’s stay at 89 and saving KKR from further damage.
Gujarat Titans still piled on the pressure, finishing at 198/3, setting up a stiff challenge for the hosts.
