IPL 2026: KKR win toss, opt to bat first against GT in Ahmedabad

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have decided to bat first after winning the toss against Gujarat Titans in match 25 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

The Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR side made one change in their playing XI from the last match. Tim Seifert will be playing his first match of the season after having a wonderful run in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He will replace his compatriot Finn Allen.

After winning the toss, KKR skipper Rahane said, “Looking to bat first, want our batters to bat freely. We just want to turn it around, so batting first is a good option. If you are doing well, people will take it well; they will criticise. The T20 format is all about momentum. One change, Seifert comes in for Allen.”

Toss update from Ahmedabad @KKRiders won the toss and elected to bat first against @gujarat_titans

Updates https://t.co/FACeUzse3B#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #GTvKKR pic.twitter.com/1IPWIZTZXC

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 17, 2026

Shubman Gill’s GT are going unchanged from the last match. Gill said, “We wanted to bowl first, to be honest. There might be some dew around. Our batting collapsed in the middle of the last match. It should have been a comfortable chase otherwise. It’s all about doing the simple things right. That’s what we talk about in team meetings. We are playing with the same team.”

KKR are searching for their first win of the season. They are at the bottom of the points table with four losses in five matches. One match ended without a result. GT, on the other hand, are ranked sixth with two wins in four matches.

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ashok Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

GT Impact Subs: Jason Holder, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat. (ANI)

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

KKR Impact Subs: Varun Chakaravarthy, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Manish Pandey (ANI)