In Match 39 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT), the host city opted to bowl first at Eden Gardens. However, barring this decision, little seemed to go in their favor as GT posted a solid 198 runs on the board, with their top three once again doing the heavy lifting ¡ª and Rahul Tewatia failing to deliver.
Shubman Gill (90 off 55) began cautiously, while Sai Sudharsan (52 off 36) struck a few boundaries, helping GT reach 45 runs in the powerplay. Once the field restrictions eased, the skipper shifted gears, and both openers completed their half-centuries by the 11th over. Despite a slower pitch, they maintained a brisk run rate, playing sensible cricket and avoiding unnecessary risks.
Andre Russell made an immediate impact, dismissing Sai Sudharsan in his first over, while Jos Buttler (41 off 23) came out aggressively, smashing three consecutive boundaries. KKR¡¯s fielding was sloppy, with several misfields and two dropped catches off Buttler. Gill narrowly missed out on a century, falling 10 runs short ¡ª and in came Rahul Tewatia.
Known as the team¡¯s finisher, Tewatia had the opportunity to push GT further ahead but faltered against Harshit Rana, who had been wicketless until then. The pacer, struggling for breakthroughs, finally struck with a slower ball. Tewatia, attempting to drive a full delivery outside off, lost control, slicing it to deep cover where Ramandeep Singh completed a clean catch ¡ª sending Tewatia back for a two-ball duck.
Rahul Tewatia has built a strong reputation in recent IPL seasons, but his form in 2025 has been disappointing. Part of the reason has been limited chances, as the top order has consistently done the bulk of the scoring. As a bowler too, Tewatia hasn¡¯t had a single opportunity to bowl in the 8 matches GT has played so far.
Fans voiced their frustration on X (formerly Twitter), with some even branding him a 'fraud' out of anger.?
One posted, "Sir Rahul Tewatia entering the elite club of Duck Collectors like a true legend!"
Another fan added, "GT coaching staff rate Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan ahead of Rutherford."
One frustrated supporter commented, "BKL Rahul Tewatia, last match didn't let Buttler complete his century and today gave a free wicket to Harshit Rana when he was wicketless."
And another summed it up harshly, "2nd Biggest Fraud of IPL is Rahul Tewatia. First is still Deepak Hooda."
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Impact Subs: Ishant Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Karim Janat, Arshad Khan
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy?
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