IPL 2026: Allen, Raghuvanshi and Narine help Knight Riders stay alive

Kolkata Kolkata Knight Riders rode on blistering knocks by Finn Allen (93), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (82 not out), and Cameron Green (52 not out) to get the better of Gujarat Titans by 29 runs in a high-scoring IPL 2026 contest at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (May 16, 2026).

After logging its highest total of the season (247 for two), with some assistance from the visiting side’s fielders’ largesse, KKR restricted GT to 218 for four to stay alive in the race for the playoffs.

Allen took his time to understand the conditions — as the ball held on to the wicket a bit in humid conditions — before unleashing his strokes. Using his timing and fast hands, predominantly on the onside, he cashed in on two lives, on 14 and 33, to hammer the GT bowlers.

Sai Kishore had Allen, who added 44 with skipper Ajinkya Rahane and 95 with Raghuvanshi for the first two wickets, caught at deep midwicket.

Raghuvanshi, enjoying a lucky DRS call early on, played some superb shots — including a brave scooped six off Kagiso Rabada. He displayed awareness and temperament to get to his fifth half-century this season.

Raghuvanshi, who had a reprieve on 52 off Rabada, later took 24 off a 25-run penultimate over bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Cameron Green, who was let off by Arshad Khan on 23 off Rashid Khan, impressed with his pulled hits to the boundary. He formed an unbeaten 108-run stand off 52 balls with Raghuvanshi.

During GT’s chase, Sunil Narine dismissed Nishant Sindhu for one after opener Sai Sudharsan retired hurt.

KKR, despite losing Matheesha Pathirana to a hamstring issue, applied the brakes in the PowerPlay (56 for one).

GT skipper Shubman Gill (85) proved his class yet again to score his fifth fifty in this edition.

Excelling on either side, Jos Buttler supported Gill as the duo collected 128 runs off 73 balls.

A limping Varun Chakaravarthy, nursing a foot injury, bowled well until Gill gathered 22 runs off his final over.

The wily Narine scalped Gill in the 17th over to put the pressure back on GT.

Sai Sudharsan returned to join Buttler. But the two could not achieve the target as GT’s wait for a play-offs berth lingered on.