Kolkata Knight Riders marked their 100th Indian Premier League match at the iconic Eden Gardens on Saturday, as Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bowl first in Match 60 of IPL 2026. KKR became only the second team, after Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, to achieve the milestone of playing 100 IPL matches at a single venue.
Playoff Implications
A victory for Gujarat Titans, who are riding a five-match winning streak, would make them the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. For Kolkata Knight Riders, a defeat would extinguish their playoff hopes entirely.
Toss and Pitch Conditions
After winning the toss, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill noted that the pitch appeared slightly sticky due to rain in Kolkata on Friday. "It does look like that (pitch having moisture). There was a little bit of rain around yesterday, and it looks a little bit sticky. We are hoping that it's going to get better in the second innings," Gill said at the toss.
Gill emphasized the importance of a strong bowling unit for championship success. "Definitely, we believe that batsmen do win you matches, but if you want to win championships, your bowling unit has to be in form, and luckily for us, they are firing on all cylinders. Our bowling unit has been top-notch this season. The momentum is with us, and we have to keep doing the things consistently that we have been doing well."
He also stressed the need to maintain focus. "This is not the stage, this is not the time to take any teams lightly, but we're hoping to win the next two and hopefully be stable in the top two positions. It gives the edge to the teams that finish in the top two. You get one extra match. Hopefully, we won't play the extra match, but it does give you an edge; you can go out there and play your game," he added.
KKR's Team News
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed that spinner Varun Chakaravarthy returned to the playing XI after recovering from a niggle, replacing Vaibhav Arora. "Taking one game at a time. We have to win three games and see what happens. We've been playing really good cricket, the last five games. We were looking to field as well. There's a little bit of moisture. I don't think it'll change too much," Rahane said.
Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans
- Sai Sudharsan
- Shubman Gill (captain)
- Jos Buttler (wk)
- Nishant Sindhu
- Washington Sundar
- Jason Holder
- Rashid Khan
- Arshad Khan
- Kagiso Rabada
- Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore
- Mohammed Siraj
Impact substitutes: Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Prasidh Krishna, and Kumar Kushagra.
Kolkata Knight Riders
- Finn Allen
- Ajinkya Rahane (captain)
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Cameron Green
- Rinku Singh
- Manish Pandey
- Sunil Narine
- Anukul Roy
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Kartik Tyagi
- Saurabh Dubey
Impact substitutes: Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rovman Powell, and Matheesha Pathirana.
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