The Gujarat Titans (GT) take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Match 25 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Both sides come into the match in very contrasting forms.
GT have won their last two matches of the 2026 season after starting with two defeats. The 2022 champions made light work of the Lucknow Super Giants in their last game, winning by seven wickets, thanks to Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler’s half-centuries, along with Prasidh Krishna’s four-wicket
haul.
KKR, on the other hand, are desperately seeking a victory to end their five-match winless run at this year’s tournament. The 2024 champions last suffered a defeat against the Chennai Super Kings, falling 32 runs short of their target whilst chasing 193 in the second innings.
As is the case in the IPL, each side have their designated Impact Sub that they bring on depending on whether they are batting or bowling first. However, teams can make a spontaneous call and bring in a different player based on the situation they find themselves in. That is why each team names up to five Impact Subs before the game.
Predicted Impact Players for Gujarat Titans (GT)
Shahrukh Khan: GT’s designated Impact Sub when they bat second. Shahrukh Khan has not had a chance to bat in the last matches. The right-hander is, however, a hard-hitting lower-order batter with an IPL strike-rate of 149.10.
Anuj Rawat: A wicketkeeper batter, Anuj Rawat has found himself on the substitute bench for several games but has yet to make his GT debut. He last played in the IPL in 2024 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Ishant Sharma: An experienced IPL bowler, Ishant Sharma has 96 wickets to his name in the tournament. He took four wickets from seven games for GT last season.
Manav Suthar: A left-arm spinner, Manav Suthar can be called in to bowl if the wicket offers some turn. The 23-year-old has an overall T20 economy of 7.03.
Kulwant Khejroliya: A left-arm pacer, Kulwant Khejroliya represented GT once last season. He has not played professional cricket since that outing in Ahmedabad last year.
Predicted Impact Players for Kolkata Knight Riders:
Vaibhav Arora: KKR’s designated Impact Sub, should they defend a total, Vaibhav Arora is currently his side’s highest wicket-taker this season with six scalps to his name.
Tim Seifert: In-form New Zealand batter Tim Seifert is still waiting to make his first appearance of the 2026 season. He was the second-highest runs-scorer at the T20 World Cup with 326 runs at a strike-rate of 166.32.
Navdeep Saini: Navdeep Saini bowled in just one game for KKR this season, against the Lucknow Super Giants, where he went wicketless.
Manish Pandey: An experienced IPL campaigner, Manish Pandey is a handy middle-order batter to call upon if KKR have lost a plethora of wickets in the early stages of the game.
Tejasvi Dahiya: A wicketkeeper-batter, Tejasvi Dahiya had a good Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Delhi. He played six matches to score 113 runs at an average of 56.50 whilst striking at 168.65.
Expert Opinion and Final Prediction
- Home Advantage: GT have lost their only game at the Narendra Modi Stadium this season. However, they won four out of seven games at their home last season.
- Recent Form: GT have won three out of five matches against KKR in their short IPL history.
- Balanced Side: GT’s squad looks settled after winning their last two matches. KKR, meanwhile, still have a lot of holes to fill and questions to answer in their playing XI.
- Prediction: With these factors in their favour, expect the Gujarat Titans to pile more misery on the Kolkata Knight Riders and win on Friday.
