Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 18 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane praised Gujarat Titans (GT) opening batters Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan for their excellent batting, noting they handled the conditions well despite the pitch being slightly slow and some dew setting in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Gill's majestic half-century propelled the GT to a five-wicket victory over the KKR on Friday in Ahmedabad.

Gill delivered a commanding 86 off 50 balls at the Narendra Modi Stadium, extending his impressive record in Ahmedabad. The GT skipper struck eight fours and four sixes to anchor the chase, guiding his side to victory in 19.4 overs while pursuing 181.

Along with Gill, Sudharsan also played a vital cameo of 22, giving his side an impressive start in the power-play.

Rahane admitted that 180 was a competitive total but stressed that KKR failed to take early wickets in the powerplay, which proved costly, while also making it clear there were no excuses for the loss.

'I thought he batted really well [Shubman Gill]. I initially felt slightly back of length, the ball was slightly holding, anything up front, half-volleys were coming nicely, slightly dew as well. But again, no excuse, as I said, 180, we needed wickets in the powerplay, they batted beautifully. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill batted beautifully,' Rahane said after the match.

Rahane admitted it is tough to reflect immediately after the loss, but chose to focus on the positives. He highlighted Cameron Green's counter-attacking innings under pressure as a major boost after early wickets.

'It's never easy after immediately losing the game, and come and talk about the game. I thought I just wanted to talk about the positives, especially the way we started two-three wickets down. In Cameron Green's innings, he was under pressure, but the kind of counter-attack he did had a positive impact. What he made was amazing to see, going after their bowlers. As you mentioned some time back, 147 for four, and from there, around 180 was slightly difficult from a batting unit, but credit to all our bowlers, the way they bowled, taking the game till the last over. Everyone contributed well,' he added.

Green's maiden half-century in the IPL 2026 powered KKR to 180 against GT. Green slammed 79 off 55 balls. This marked Green's second-highest IPL score after 100* (47) for MI vs SRH at Wankhede in 2023.

This is now GT's third straight victory in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), after wins against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). GT now have 6 points from 5 games in the IPL 2026. This propels them two places up the points table, into fourth position.

KKR is still finding their first win in the IPL 2026, with one point, the three-time champions remain at the bottom of the points table. (ANI)