Gujarat breaks into the IPL top four with five-wicket win over winless Kolkata

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Shubman Gill prevented Kolkata Knight Riders from their first win in the Indian Premier League and Gujarat Titans broke into the top four with a five-wicket win on Friday.

Gill’s fluent 86 off 50 balls anchored Gujarat’s chase to 181-5 with two balls remaining.

Kolkata’s million-dollar signing Cameron Green finally revived his struggling batting form with a knock of 79 off 55 balls but the Australia allrounder wasn’t supported and Kolkata was bowled out for 180 on the final ball.

Kolkata has lost five of six, and the sixth was a rain out.

Captain Gill and Sai Sudharsan (22) set up Gujarat’s third successive win with a rollicking opening stand of 57 off five overs.

Sudharsan fell to Sunil Narine in the last over of power play but Jos Buttler (25) smashed two sixes and two fours and kept pushing the scoring rate.

Gill was hardly troubled by pace or spin and completed his half-century in 27 balls. He hit eight boundaries and four sixes and looked good for a century at home. But with Gujarat needing only 23 off the last three overs, Gill sliced fast bowler Vaibhav Arora to Green at third man.

Earlier, Kolkata captain Ajinkya Rahane wanted his beleaguered batters to swing freely after he won the toss. However, Rahane’s own intent to show early aggression didn’t work out as he fell to the first ball he faced from Mohammed Siraj and top-edged a catch to mid-on.

“It’s all about being in the moment,” Rahane said. “When things are not going your way you think too many things.”

Kagiso Rabada (3-29) helped to reduce Kolkata to 32-3 inside the power play. Green and Rovman Powell (27) rebuilt the innings in a 55-run stand.

Green took his time to settle down but upped the ante when he completed a 34-ball half-century with four boundaries and three sixes. He shared another half-century stand with Anukul Roy.

But Kolkata’s struggling middle order again disappointed. Five wickets were lost for 26 runs in the death overs.

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