IPL 2026: GT win toss, choose to bowl first in Kolkata; Chakaravarthy comes back for KKR

KOLKATA: Gujarat Titans (GT) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Saturday. For KKR, Varun Chakaravarthy makes his comeback from the injury.

GT captain Shubman Gill said after winning the toss that the team will bowl first due to recent rain and improving conditions expected later in the match. He highlighted the strength and momentum of their bowling unit, stressed the importance of not underestimating any opponent, and noted the advantage of finishing in the top two. He confirmed an unchanged playing 11 for the team.

“We are gonna bowl first. There was a little bit of rain yesterday. We are hoping that it’ll get better in the second innings. Our bowling unit has been top-notch. The momentum is with us. This is not the time to take any team lightly. You get one extra match if you finish in the top two. Same team,” Gill said at the toss presentations.

Toss update from Kolkata @gujarat_titans won the toss and elected to bowl first against @kkriders

Updates https://t.co/m8jevRTt29#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #KKRvGT pic.twitter.com/frBgC5n6vs

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 16, 2026

On the other hand, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said the team is focusing on winning each match one at a time and must win their remaining three games to stay in contention. He noted that KKR have been playing good cricket in recent matches and would have preferred to field first due to slight moisture on the pitch. He also confirmed that Varun Chakaravarthy is fit and has been included in the playing 11.

“Taking one game at a time. We have to win three games and see what happens. We’ve been playing really good cricket, the last five games. We were looking to field as well. There’s a little bit of moisture. I don’t think it’ll change too much. Varun comes in. Varun is fit,” Rahane said.

KKR are currently placed eighth on the points table with just four wins from 11 matches. Their recent loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has further weakened their chances of reaching the playoffs. With only three league games left, three-time champions now face a must-win situation to stay in contention.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans (GT) are enjoying a strong season, sitting second in the standings with eight wins from 12 matches. Backed by a five-match winning streak, they head into the final phase with solid momentum. They will aim for a victory over KKR and bolster their position at the top of the table.

Kolkata Knight Riders playing 11: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi.

KKR Impact Sub options: Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora.

Gujarat Titans playing 11: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj.

GT Impact Sub options: Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips. (ANI)