The Gujarat Titans became the top team in the IPL standings after a successful collaboration between Vijay Shankar and David Miller led them to a seven-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Gujarat faced difficulties while chasing a target of 180 runs for victory, but with the help of Shankar and Miller, they managed to win the game with 13 balls remaining at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Mohammed Shami, Josh Little, and Noor Ahmad helped their team win by limiting Kolkata to 179-7, despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz scoring 81 runs. The match was delayed by 45 minutes due to rain and a wet outfield.
During the chase, Hardik Pandya was dismissed for 26 and Shubman Gill was dismissed for 49. David Miller, who was dropped on 26, hit a couple of sixes and then Shankar took over in their unbeaten partnership of 87 runs, hitting several sixes and reaching his fifty in 24 balls.
Gujarat, who had a remarkable first season by winning the Indian Premier League, have now taken the lead in the table with six victories in eight matches. Meanwhile, Kolkata, who have won the championship twice, are currently in seventh place with six defeats in nine matches, with Nitish Rana as their leader.
Kolkata struggled to score many runs due to frequent wickets, but Gurbaz, who replaced Jason Roy, played well and hit seven sixes. He partnered with Rinku Singh to add 47 runs before being dismissed by Ahmad’s left-arm wrist spin.
After Gurbaz left, Kolkata struggled but Andre Russell managed to face the opposition’s attacks with his 19-ball 34, even though Shami, Little, and Ahmad’s bowling was well-controlled in the last five overs.
Little, a left-arm fast bowler from Ireland, was awarded the man of the match title for his performance of taking two wickets while conceding 25 runs.