Right then, a new week in the 2025 IPL season and it is Gujarat Titans who take a big step in remaining the front runners to seal a playoffs berth as KKR fail to get back a few lost places in the standings. Next up, it is a clash between two teams who are currently in the top 5 and a win for either side would see them level on points with GT. It will be Lucknow Super Giants taking on Delhi Capitals in Lucknow on Tuesday, 22nd April. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Cheers!

The skipper of the Gujarat Titans, Shubman Gill, is also the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his impressive innings. He says that he is very pleased with the overall performance of the team, and these two wins have been pretty important for them, as they will decide how they will remain in the points table. States that there hasn’t been any such conversation to play one of the batters from the top three till the end, and the best has come when they have batted freely, and they just want to score as many runs as they can possibly for the team. Admits that they just talk about the pitch and conditions and how they have to bat there to take their team to a win. Mentions that they were ahead in the game when Sai Kishore picked up a wicket, and he was just happy in that animated celebration as the team was cruising there, and he just wanted to show his emotions. Adds that it is very difficult to have a perfect game in T20s, but they are just trying to get a win, and they are really good at it.

The Presentation ceremony...

Sai Kishore from the Gujarat Titans is up for a chat. He says there was enough purchase in the wicket, and thinks it was a good total on the board. On his plans to bowl against Andre Russell, he says he just wanted to go slow through the air, as the situation for them was to hit big shots. On Rashid Khan, he says that he is one of the best T20 bowlers, and they believe in him. Says it is good to see him getting wickets again. Adds that the talk is about playing good cricket, without thinking much about the results. Highlights that they fielded extremely well. Ends by saying they are just trying to follow the process.

The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, says that 199 was chaseable on this wicket as the ball was coming on the bat really well, and they didn’t have a good opening start in chasing this big total. Admits that GT bowled really well, and they faltered as a batting unit, but they will have to learn from this and come back stronger. States that they targeted to keep Gujarat under 200 when they were bowling and emphasises the batting more as they haven’t batted well in the middle overs, where they have struggled. Says that he has no complaint about the bowlers as they are doing their job fantastically well in each game. Tells that he believes that fielding is an important aspect of the game, and if you can save 10-15 runs in the field, it always pays off well. Further says that fielding is about the intent and your fitness, and the guys are working hard on it. Says that the T20 format is all about being brave and they have to forget what has happened in the past to go forward, they just need to learn from the mistakes and improve them with a positive mindset. He feels that it is just a matter of time before their batters will click and score runs, as they have quality batters in the middle. Ends by praising Angkrish Raghuvanshi as he batted well in the end.

Earlier in the game, it was yet another masterclass from the top 3 batters of the Gujarat Titans as they piled on the runs quite heavily. The skipper, Shubman Gill, was the best of the bunch with a classy 90 as Sai Sudharsan struck a half-century and Jos Buttler remained unbeaten on 41 off just 23 balls. After opting to bowl first, Rahane's troops couldn't get the breakthrough soon enough, and even though they managed to keep the opposition under 200 runs, it was a substantial score on this particular surface.

Looking at the paper sheet, KKR probably have the longest batting line-up, but they have been heavily reliant on skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who yet again stepped up with a half century. And yet again, those around him let him down. Rahmanullah Gurbaz came in for Quinton de Kock but didn't do any damage and they simply kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who came as the Impact sub at number 9, remained unbeaten on 27 off just 13 balls, and one surely feels that he should have come in at number 4 or 5. KKR opted to send the hitters early, and that didn't work out.

After having put on almost 200 runs, the Titans got a perfect start with the ball as Mohammed Siraj struck in the very first over by sending back Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Rashid Khan then got Narine out in the last over of the Powerplay, after which the spinners heavily dominated proceedings. Sai Kishore and Washington Sundar picked up a wicket each as Rashid got two and Prasidh Krishna kept his stellar season up with a couple of wickets to his name as well. Overall, GT were brilliant in the field and didn't drop catches either, resulting in a strong all-round showing.

Absolutely clinical from table toppers Gujarat Titans and they now pull ahead by a couple of points at the top of the table with their 6th win of the season. KKR's poor run with the bat continues as they now slip to a fifth defeat, and for the first time this season, they haven't managed to bounce back after a loss.

Harshit Rana comes out to bat.

Ishant Sharma will bowl the final over with KKR needing 48 runs off the final six balls.