Reigning champions Gujarat Titans managed to get rid of the dangerous KKR opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz after a terrific catch from Yash Dayal. Mohammed Shami’s well-directed short ball caught Gurbaz by surprise, who could only manage to glove it towards the fielder stationed at short fine-leg.
Chasing a daunting target set by the home side, KKR made a steady start on the back of a couple of big shots from opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. However, the explosive opener was dismissed in the third over of the chase when Yash Dayal managed to hang onto a brilliant catch despite a collision with his wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.
It was Mohammed Shami who drew first blood for his side as his steep bouncer caught Gurbaz by surprise as he was already down the pitch expecting a full delivery. The wicket was followed by the departure of his opening partner N Jagadeesan in the very next over.
Earlier in the match, it was Vijay Shankar’s carnage with the bat that took the home side to a challenging total in the first innings. The Indian all-rounder, who was drafted into the match in place of the unwell Hardik Pandya, was slow to get off the blocks, but he went into overdrive in the latter stages of the match. Shankar smashed 63 runs in just 24 deliveries to take his side to 204 runs in their 20 overs.