Gujarat Titans won the toss and chose to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, expecting the surface to be slightly sticky early before becoming easier for batting later. That reading aged badly.
KKR, playing their 100th IPL match at Eden Gardens and needing a win to stay alive in the playoff race, produced a batting storm and smashed 247 for 2 in 20 overs. Finn Allen blasted 93 off 35 balls, Angkrish Raghuvanshi made an unbeaten 82 off 44, and Cameron Green finished with 52 not out off 28. With the first innings now complete, the Impact Player logic around Rovman Powell and Prasidh Krishna has changed completely.
KKR vs GT: Why Rovman Powell was not used by Kolkata
Rovman Powell was not part of KKR's starting XI because Kolkata began with only three overseas players: Finn Allen, Cameron Green and Sunil Narine. That gave them flexibility to bring in a fourth overseas option later depending on the match situation.
At the toss, Powell looked like a possible batting Impact Player if KKR lost early wickets or needed late-overs power. But that scenario never arrived. KKR's top order did the job so brutally that Powell’s finishing role became unnecessary.
Finn Allen gave KKR a flying start with 10 sixes in his 93, while Raghuvanshi and Green added an unbeaten 108-run stand. KKR lost only two wickets, so there was no need to bring Powell in as an extra hitter. When your top order has already dragged the total to 247, using another batting Impact Player is like ordering dessert after eating the whole buffet.
Now, KKR are more likely to use a bowling Impact Player while defending. Matheesha Pathirana or Vaibhav Arora becomes a more logical option than Powell because Kolkata need wickets and death-overs control, not another batter.
KKR vs GT: Why Prasidh Krishna was not used by Gujarat
Prasidh Krishna was named on Gujarat Titans' Impact Player bench, but the match situation has made his role complicated. Before the innings, GT could have used him as an extra pace option depending on how the Eden surface behaved. But after conceding 247, the priority has changed from bowling depth to batting firepower.
Gujarat's bowlers had a nightmare. Rashid Khan went for 57 in his four overs, Mohammed Siraj conceded 50, and the fielding did not help either. GT dropped key chances, including Finn Allen early enough for it to hurt badly, and Cameron Green also benefited from poor judgment in the deep.
At this point, bringing in Prasidh as a bowling Impact Player makes little sense because Gujarat's bowling innings is already over. They now need to chase 248 at a required rate of 12.40. That means Shubman Gill is more likely to replace a bowler with an explosive batting option such as Rahul Tewatia or Glenn Phillips.
So Prasidh's non-use is not about injury or form. It is about match situation. Once KKR posted a massive total, GT’s Impact Player plan had to become batting-heavy.
Impact player plans after KKR's 247/2
KKR's likely Impact Player direction: bring in Matheesha Pathirana or Vaibhav Arora for extra bowling while defending.
GT's likely Impact Player direction: bring in Rahul Tewatia or Glenn Phillips for extra batting in the chase.
First innings summary: KKR 247 for 2 in 20 overs. Finn Allen 93 off 35, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 82 not out off 44, Cameron Green 52 not out off 28. For GT, Sai Kishore took 1 for 38 and Mohammed Siraj took 1 for 50, but the rest of the bowling attack was taken apart.
The simple answer is this: Rovman Powell was not needed because KKR’s top order already produced a giant total, while Prasidh Krishna is unlikely to be used because GT now need batting muscle, not another bowler. Both decisions are tactical and directly shaped by KKR’s first-innings carnage.
KKR vs GT Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): 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
KKR vs GT Impact Players
Gujarat Titans Impact Subs: Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact subs: Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora
