<p>Kolkata: Skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan struck fluent half-centuries in a century-opening stand to guide Gujarat Titans to 196 for 3 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match here on Monday.</p><p>Gill looked set for his maiden ton of the season but fell for 90 off 55 balls, swat-flicking a full toss from Vaibhav Arora straight to Rinku Singh at deep square leg, missing out by just 10 runs. His knock included 10 fours and three sixes.</p><p>Together with Sudharshan, Gill added 114 runs for the opening stand.</p>.IPL 2025 | KKR win toss, opt to bowl first against GT.<p>Despite the strong platform, GT's innings slowed down in the final phase. They managed only 59 runs in the last five overs, with KKR bowlers executing their plans well at the death.</p><p>Jos Buttler, despite a promising start, was tied down and finished unbeaten on 41 off 23 balls (8x4s) without hitting a single six.</p><p>The Titans' batting stuttered further as Rahul Tewatia, sent ahead of Sherfane Rutherford, was dismissed for a two-ball duck.</p><p>KKR's spin trio -- Moeen Ali, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine -- were particularly effective, conceding just 96 runs from their combined 11 overs.</p><p>Chakravarthy stood out, giving away just three runs in a superb 14th over.</p><p>GT's reluctance to take aerial risks -- managing just five lofted shots in total -- highlighted the effectiveness of KKR's bowling in the second half of the innings.</p><p>Fielding, however, remained a concern for the home side. Vaibhav Arora dropped a straightforward chance running back from mid-off to dismiss Buttler when he was on 17.</p><p>Opting to bowl, KKR endured a wicketless powerplay as GT made a steady start, reaching 45 for no loss.</p><p>Harshit Rana's fifth over, which went for 12 runs, was the only expensive one in that phase.</p><p>KKR tried four bowlers in the powerplay, including spinners Moeen and Chakravarthy, but couldn't find a breakthrough.</p><p>Gill and Sudharsan batted with maturity, rotating strike efficiently and picking boundaries without taking unnecessary risks.</p><p>They maintained a scoring rate close to nine an over and played just one aerial shot in the first 10 overs showing their controlled approach.</p><p>The pair brought up their fifties in quick succession. Gill reached his third fifty of the season off 34 balls, while Sudharsan notched his fifth half-century from six matches with a 33-ball effort.</p><p>The breakthrough came in the 13th over when Andre Russell dismissed Sudharsan (53) with a rising delivery that induced a top edge behind the stumps.</p><p>However, the wicket brought little relief for KKR as Buttler walked in and immediately went after the bowlers.</p><p>Fresh from a match-winning 97 not out in GT's last outing, Buttler hit Russell for three consecutive boundaries, including a stylish cover drive after dancing down the track, displaying his rich form.</p>
<p>Kolkata: Skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan struck fluent half-centuries in a century-opening stand to guide Gujarat Titans to 196 for 3 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match here on Monday.</p><p>Gill looked set for his maiden ton of the season but fell for 90 off 55 balls, swat-flicking a full toss from Vaibhav Arora straight to Rinku Singh at deep square leg, missing out by just 10 runs. His knock included 10 fours and three sixes.</p><p>Together with Sudharshan, Gill added 114 runs for the opening stand.</p>.IPL 2025 | KKR win toss, opt to bowl first against GT.<p>Despite the strong platform, GT's innings slowed down in the final phase. They managed only 59 runs in the last five overs, with KKR bowlers executing their plans well at the death.</p><p>Jos Buttler, despite a promising start, was tied down and finished unbeaten on 41 off 23 balls (8x4s) without hitting a single six.</p><p>The Titans' batting stuttered further as Rahul Tewatia, sent ahead of Sherfane Rutherford, was dismissed for a two-ball duck.</p><p>KKR's spin trio -- Moeen Ali, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine -- were particularly effective, conceding just 96 runs from their combined 11 overs.</p><p>Chakravarthy stood out, giving away just three runs in a superb 14th over.</p><p>GT's reluctance to take aerial risks -- managing just five lofted shots in total -- highlighted the effectiveness of KKR's bowling in the second half of the innings.</p><p>Fielding, however, remained a concern for the home side. Vaibhav Arora dropped a straightforward chance running back from mid-off to dismiss Buttler when he was on 17.</p><p>Opting to bowl, KKR endured a wicketless powerplay as GT made a steady start, reaching 45 for no loss.</p><p>Harshit Rana's fifth over, which went for 12 runs, was the only expensive one in that phase.</p><p>KKR tried four bowlers in the powerplay, including spinners Moeen and Chakravarthy, but couldn't find a breakthrough.</p><p>Gill and Sudharsan batted with maturity, rotating strike efficiently and picking boundaries without taking unnecessary risks.</p><p>They maintained a scoring rate close to nine an over and played just one aerial shot in the first 10 overs showing their controlled approach.</p><p>The pair brought up their fifties in quick succession. Gill reached his third fifty of the season off 34 balls, while Sudharsan notched his fifth half-century from six matches with a 33-ball effort.</p><p>The breakthrough came in the 13th over when Andre Russell dismissed Sudharsan (53) with a rising delivery that induced a top edge behind the stumps.</p><p>However, the wicket brought little relief for KKR as Buttler walked in and immediately went after the bowlers.</p><p>Fresh from a match-winning 97 not out in GT's last outing, Buttler hit Russell for three consecutive boundaries, including a stylish cover drive after dancing down the track, displaying his rich form.</p>