The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kept their playoff qualification dreams alive with a commanding 29-run victory over the league-leading Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 60 of IPL 2026 on Saturday, May 16.
In what was a historic 100th IPL match for Kolkata at the iconic Eden Gardens, the hosts unleashed a sensational batting exhibition to post a mammoth 247/2 before restricting Gujarat to 218/4.
Finn Allen and the Middle-Order Masterclass
After being put into bat by GT captain Shubman Gill, KKR suffered an early setback when Ajinkya Rahane (14) fell to Mohammed Siraj (1/50). However, opening batsman Finn Allen single-handedly dismantled the tournament’s most clinical bowling unit.
Allen went on a brutal six-hitting spree, hammering a spectacular 93 off just 35 balls, an innings decorated with 4 boundaries and 10 massive sixes before falling to Sai Kishore (1/38) in the 12th over.
Following Allen’s departure, young Angkrish Raghuvanshi anchored the innings brilliantly, remaining unbeaten on 82 off 44 balls*. He found an equally explosive partner in Cameron Green, who smashed a rapid 52 off 28 balls*. The duo capitalized heavily on Gujarat’s unusually sloppy fielding display, which saw four dropped catches.
Raghuvanshi and Green stitched together an unbeaten 108-run partnership, taking even master spinner Rashid Khan to the cleaners for 57 runs in his 4 overs to close out a powerhouse total.
Here are some twitter reactions:
KKR defeats GT by 29 runs
A crucial win for KKR to stay alive in Playoffs pic.twitter.com/j8Z7kN7a0r— cricmawa (@cricmawa) May 16, 2026
🚨 KKR ABSOLUTELY DESTROY GT’S BOWLING 😳💜
🔺 247/2 posted against Gujarat Titans
🔺 Pure batting carnage from Kolkata
🔺 Bowlers had absolutely nowhere to hideThat wasn’t batting anymore… that was a full-scale T20 demolition job by KKR#KKR #IPL #Cricket pic.twitter.com/LnfF1Fl9CP
— Shitik (@RitikV2) May 16, 2026
KKR, what a batting performance that. Bowling was very iffy but we will take the win and run.
This man owned the night.#KKRvGT #KKR #GT pic.twitter.com/4eJOV8UwbT
— Kiara Kapoor (@kiarakapoor2907) May 16, 2026
10 POINTS IN LAST 6 GAMES FOR THREE TIME IPL CHAMPIONS 🥶
– THIS IS KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS…!!!🥹❤️#KKRvsGT pic.twitter.com/ORzuQ1o5yA
— Nafees (@Nafees_22) May 16, 2026
KKR vs GT has become the first-ever T20 game (across all leagues) to feature six individual 50+ scores in a single match.
KKR:
Allen – 93
Angkrish Raghuvanshi – 82*
Cam Green – 52*
GT:
Shubman Gill – 85
Buttler – 57
Sai Sudharsan – 53* pic.twitter.com/VAVmUnwjIA— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) May 16, 2026
KKR BEATS GT ON A HIGH SCORING GAME . GT LOSS MATCH AFTER 5 WINS 🥲😭#IPL #KKRVSGT pic.twitter.com/J94oNQihxg
— IPLwithMayank (@MAYXxFF) May 16, 2026
KKR in first 6 matches – 0 wins, 1 No result.
KKR in next 6 matches – 5 wins, 1 defeat. pic.twitter.com/LdnJ2G9JOH
— atharva (@that_atharva) May 16, 2026
Gill and Buttler Fight Valiantly in Chasing Masterclass
Chasing a mountainous target of 248, Gujarat’s response suffered an early blow when their leading run-scorer, Sai Sudharsan, retired hurt on 23 after being struck on the left elbow by Kartik Tyagi. Sunil Narine, celebrating his landmark 200th IPL appearance, then struck on his very first ball to dismiss Nishant Sindhu (1).
Captain Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler refused to back down, counter-attacking with immense composure.Gill registered an authoritative 85 off 49 balls (5 fours, 7 sixes) before Narine broke the 128-run stand, courtesy of a well-judged boundary catch by Anukul Roy.
Buttler kept the chase afloat with a gritty 57 off 35 balls but was eventually dismissed by debutant Saurabh Dubey (1/23) in the 19th over. A brave return from the injured Sudharsan, who reached a late half-century (53 off 28*), was not enough as KKR’s clinical death bowling secured the vital points.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.