Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 39 of IPL 2023 at the Eden Gardens on Saturday (April 29).

Invited to bat first, the hosts posted 179/7 in their allotted 20 overs on the back of Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 39-ball 81. Mohammad Shami (3-33), Noor Ahmad (2-21) and Joshua Little (2-25) starred with the ball for the Titans.

In reply, the defending champions rode on Shubman Gill’s 35-ball 49 and unbeaten knocks from Vijay Shankar (51* off 24) and David Miller (32* off 18) to overhaul the target with 13 deliveries to spare.

After the defeat, KKR skipper Nitish Rana rued dropped catches and a lack of partnerships.

"(On the score) I think we were 20-25 runs short. If we keep dropping catches against big teams, I do not think the result will be any different. No one apart from Gurbaz and Russell got going. There were not enough partnerships and had we had a partnership of 40-50 runs, the score could have been more. We kept them quiet in the middle overs, but against such teams, if you do not take your chances, you will end up on the losing side," Rana said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

It was KKR’s sixth loss in nine games this season. They are currently placed at the seventh spot on the points table featuring 10 teams.

"If we do well in all three departments, only then will we have a chance. Unless we do that, the result will not be in our favour. I feel the small moments are more important than the big moments. If you do these small things well, like taking catches and fielding well, there are more chances of victory," the captain added.

Kolkata Knight Riders will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday (May 4).