Rinku Singh of the Kolkata Knight Riders hit five sixes in the final over to win the game for KKR against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, possibly the greatest comeback in IPL history.
After Rashid Khan of Gujarat Titans eliminated three match-winners in quick succession – Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and last match’s hero Shardul Thakur—he achieved the first hat trick of the IPL 2023. KKR defeats GT by three wickets thanks to Rinku’s 48 off 21 balls.
On Sunday, April 9, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by three wickets thanks to an outstanding performance from Rinku Singh in the final over. The Titans required 29 to defend in the final over, but Rinku hit Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes to send KKR home.
Although they lost Wriddhiman Saha, the Titans got off to a quick start, scoring 54 runs in the powerplay. Following Saha’s departure, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan added 67 runs for the second wicket in 7 12 overs to set the Titans up for success. After getting rid of Gill, who scored 39 runs off 31 balls with five fours, Sunil Narine separated the pair.
After scoring 53 runs off 38 balls, including three fours and two sixes, Sudharsan continued his impressive run of form. In his IPL debut against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Suyash Sharma, who had already taken three wickets, dismissed Abhinav Manohar, who was threatening to hit some big shots.
But it was Vijay Shankar, who appeared at his absolute best with the bat in hand, who gave the Titans the much-needed momentum. With just 21 balls, the veteran quickly reached his half-century. With four fours and five sixes in 63 runs off 24 balls, Shankar continued to be unbeaten.
The Titans were able to surpass the 200-run mark in their innings thanks to Shankar’s contribution. GT scored 204 runs for the loss of just four wickets after choosing to bat first. After finishing with a final tally of 4-0-33-3, Narine was the KKR bowlers’ choice.
With 43 runs scored during the powerplay, KKR got off to a rather slow start. Most importantly, they dropped the vital wickets of Mandeep Singh’s replacements N Jagadeesan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. But with a half-century off of 26 balls, Venkatesh Iyer, who replaced Suyash Sharma as an impact player, kept KKR’s hopes alive.
Iyer and Nitish Rana added 100 runs for the third wicket to prevent the Knights from losing ground in the 8-ball situation. The left-handed Rana rejoined the fray as well, scoring 45 runs prior to Alzarri Joseph taking his wicket.
Iyer got out to Joseph as he tried to head downtown, just as he was about to wrap up the game for the Knights. With five sixes and eight fours, the Southpaw scored 83 runs off 40 balls. After ejecting Andre Russell, who participated in his 100th IPL game, Rashid Khan delivered the fatal blow.
However, Rinku Singh had different plans. Rinku Singh hit Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes to help KKR score the 29 runs needed to win off the final over. At 48 runs off 21 balls, one four, and six sixes, he continued to be unbeaten.
Twitter Fans Reaction To Rinku Singh:
Greatest finish i have ever seen
Rinku Singh is a KING 👑 pic.twitter.com/C8hDKZ3zGQ— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) April 9, 2023
#GTvsKKR
ABD, Rusell, MSD bowing down to Rinku singh greatest finisher 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/2ML8PjaYMH— 👌⭐👑 (@superking1815) April 9, 2023
The craziest finish in the IPL.
Rinku Singh the superstar! pic.twitter.com/kY6VRrz8bG
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 9, 2023
Rinku Singh , You Beauty 😍pic.twitter.com/qjRJI4ULyu
— ViswanthDHFM (@Rainafanatic3) April 9, 2023
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
