For defending champions KKR, it was yet another underwhelming performance at home, having now lost three out of four matches at Eden Gardens. Despite changes in the line-up to strengthen the batting, the team failed to build meaningful partnerships.

“Kolkata Knight Riders have simply not bounced back as well as we would have liked them to. It’s always a good sign for a strong team with a lot of character around, but they had the same failures that they’ve shown throughout the tournament,” said Morgan.

“They made a couple of changes (against GT), mainly to try and gain some impetus in their batting line-up, and it didn’t necessarily come off. Were the changes worth it? They’ll sit back and say no.”

Morgan noted that KKR’s batting lacked cohesion and momentum.

“It was interesting to hear Ajinkya Rahane talk about 199 being a chaseable score because towards the back end of Gujarat Titans’ innings, we thought the ball held up more than we expected (and) that made finding boundaries harder,” he said.

“But there was no rhythm, no substantial partnerships — almost the polar opposite of what Gujarat Titans displayed.”

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu lauded GT’s B Sai Sudharsan, who scored a composed 52 off 36 balls and crossed the 400-run mark in the tournament.

“It gives us such joy to watch him bat. As a classical batsman, he shows how the game can still be played in a traditional style, (to) use the pace of the ball, play under your eyes, keep it along the ground, and play smart cricket. Playing smart cricket brings runs and also builds confidence,” Rayudu said.