IPL 2023, Match 13: Turning point of GT vs KKR match

The 13th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 saw Gujarat Titans take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 9. Coming on the back of victories, both teams looked to register another one in the heavyweight clash.

Due to the absence of regular skipper Hardik Panyda, ace spinner Rashid Khan was the stand-in captain of Gujarat for their match against Kolkata. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first.

Coming in to bat, Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill looked to propel the defending champions to a good start; however, both batters fell prey to Sunil Narine. Gill crossed 2,000 runs in the IPL after his 39-run knock against Kolkata. Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar showed resilience down the order and played impactful knocks.

Sudharsan scored a brilliant half-century, and Vijay Shankar played an unbeaten knock of 63 runs in 24 balls to conclude the defending champions' first innings, after which they posted 204 runs on the board.

What was the turning point of the Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders match?

In the second innings, Kolkata had pressure mounted on them as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan were dismissed early. Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer notched up 83 runs on the board to provide some hope to the struggling Kolkata side.

Skipper Nitish Rana also amassed 45 runs during the chase and anchored the innings. However, it was the knock of 25-year-old Rinku Singh that changed the game for Kolkata and was the turning point of the game. He came in to bat when his side needed him the most.

As Rashid Khan took a marvelous hat-trick to further worsen the situation for the two-time champions, Rinku Singh showed resilience and played an unbeaten knock of 48 runs. In the final over of the game, Rinku Singh crushed Gujarat’s hopes as he hit five consecutive sixes against Yash Dayal to seal a fabulous win for Kolkata Knight Riders.