‘It might be that team doesn't need him to bowl’ - Rahmanullah Gurbaz reflects over why Shardul Thakur did not bowl in KKR-GT clash

The 39th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) featured a fiery clash between the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, April 29. 

As the hosts posted 179 runs on the board after the first innings, Gujarat came in to chase the target, and the defending champions did so relatively easily. One of the biggest names missing from Kolkata’s bowling attack was Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

The 31-year-old featured with the bat in the first innings, where he was dismissed for a duck, but he was not given a chance to feature with the ball during the run chase. Reflecting upon the same, teammate Rahmanullah Gurbaz stated that he was unsure why Shardul did not feature with the ball.

"If you are not fit enough, then you will not play. It might be that the team doesn't need him to bowl. The captain knows it better. The coach and management know better than me. I can't say anything on this. This might be a special plan. They might have discussed it before the game. He might have liked to bat in the top order. He might not have been fit enough to bowl. I can't say anything on this. Coaches and captain know better than me," Gurbaz said at the post-match press conference.

Vijay Shankar’s class led GT to emphatic victory

After Kolkata had posted 179 runs on the board after the first innings, Gujarat came in to chase the target; however, they lost Wriddhiman Saha early in the innings as the veteran batter scored ten runs in just as many deliveries.

Shubman Gill amassed 49 runs in 35 deliveries, with Vijay Shankar playing an unbeaten knock of 51 runs off 24 balls. With Miller’s late push of 32* runs, Gujarat scored 180 in the 18th over, winning the game by seven wickets; After the win, the defending champions move up to first in the IPL points table with 12 points in eight games. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders find themselves in seventh place with six points in nine games.