IPL 2023: Rahmanullah Gurbaz powers KKR to 179/7 vs GT
Kolkata Knight Riders posted a mammoth 179/7 while batting first against Gujarat Titans in Match 39 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Rahmanullah Gurbaz starred with a breathtaking 81 as KKR bowlers struggled big time against him. Andre Russell played a handy cameo. Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, and Noor Ahmed did well in the bowling department. Here is the innings report.
Gurbaz and Shami shine in powerplay
GT won the toss and elected to bowl as rain caused a 45-minute delay to the start of play. N Jagadeesan (19 off 15) played some fiery shots early on before falling prey to Shami. Shardul Thakur's promotion to number four couldn't work as Shami dismissed him for a duck. Gurbaz smoked four maximums in the powerplay as KKR were 61/2 after six overs.
Gurbaz continues his exploits
Gurbaz continued his merry way of scoring runs even after the field opened up. He got to his fifty off just 27 balls in the ninth over. Meanwhile, Joshua Little derailed KKR's innings by dismissing both Venkatesh Iyer (11) and Nitish Rana (4) in the 11th over. Rinku Singh looked sluggish at the start before breaking free. The Knights were 134/4 after 15 overs.
Second IPL fifty for Gurbaz
Gurbaz, who replaced the injured Jason Roy in the XI, brought up his second IPL fifty. He has now raced to 183 runs in the tournament at 30.5. His strike rate reads 145.23. He ended up scoring 81 off 39 balls.
Noor Ahmad shines in end overs
Left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad brought an end to Gurbaz's heroics in the 16th over. He dismissed Rinku (19) in the following over to dent KKR further. Meanwhile, birthday boy Russell brought his A-game out and played a fiery cameo (34 off 19). However, he did not get much support from the other end. KKR managed 45 runs in their final five overs.
How did the bowlers fare?
Shami was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with 3/33 in four overs. Noor recorded 2/21 in his quota of four overs. Little also delivered a spectacular spell, recording 2/25 in four overs. Rashid Khan had a rare off day on the field as his figures read 0/54 in four overs. Skipper Hardik Pandya returned with 0/34 in three overs.
