Gujarat Titans won by 7 wickets over Kolkata Knight Riders in the 39th match of the IPL 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 29. Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bowl. Put into bat, Kolkata Knight Riders lost their opener N Jagadeesan very cheaply. However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed a quickfire 81 off 39 with 5 fours and 7 sixes. Later, Andre Russell hit a quick 34 and helped KKR put up 179 in 20 overs. Mohammed Shami claimed 3/33.

While chasing, Shubman Gill scored 49. While Vijay Shankar smashed an unbeaten 51 off 24, David Miller hit a quick 32* off 18 and helped his side reach the finish line in 17.5 overs.

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Here is what the captains and the player of the match said after the game:

Josh Little, Player of the Match said as quoted by Cricbuzz- I just spoke to Hardik before play, just wanted to keep things simple, bowl the hard lengths and I’m happy I could do just that. The first game of the IPL was always nerve-wracking, but I’m settled now. It was just about keeping things simple, smashing the back of the length and letting the ball do the talking.

Hardik Pandya, the Winning captain said as quoted by Cricbuzz- They got us back into the game and kept us in the game (on Noor and Little), because the way Gurbaz batted, we were bowling good balls, but it was a long time I saw a batter playing with such conviction and clarity of thought. I would have taken 180 on that pitch especially after someone had made a 39-ball 81. Down the line in the group, we know that we’ll have to play good cricket to win the game, that’s the humbleness which has kept us in good stead. Everyone wants to contribute, but they accept difficult positions and want to come out on top. It’s all about playing good cricket consistently, irrespective of a win or a loss. He’s fitter, more confident and the amount of hard work he’s done is terrific. Going forward, you’ll see a lot of Vijay Shankar, I always believe in my life that good guys go to good places, I’m very happy.

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Nitish Rana, KKRcaptain said as quoted by Cricbuzz- I think we were 20-25 runs short, up against top teams, we can’t be this sloppy with the bat. We didn’t get partnerships developing, other than Gurbaz and Russell, no one else, including me, scored. If we got a good partnership in the middle overs, we could have done better. In crucial games and against top oppositions, you need to do all the basics well in all the three departments of the game. The batting was ok today, but we didn’t bowl well. Need to do well in the small moments, bowl according to the plan and do the basics well.