Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets at Wankhede stadium in their second encounter of the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. This win has kept KKR alive in the hunt for playoffs. Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh were heroes of this win for the Kolkata franchise.
While chasing the target of 153 runs set by the Royals, KKR didn’t get a good start and lost the early wickets of Aaron Finch and Baba Indrajith. The opening partnership has been a big problem for KKR this season as they have kept on changing openers to get a good start in the powerplay.
Shreyas Iyer tried to anchor the innings from one end but couldn’t continue it for long and got dismissed on 34 runs in 32 balls. But Nitish Rana played an impactful knock of 48 runs in 37 balls. He took on Ashwin brilliantly which impressed many cricket fans.
KKRi n the end needed 39 runs in 24 balls to win. Rinku Singh was the hero for KKR. He played a brilliant knock of 42 runs in 23 balls under immense pressure. Everyone on Twitter hailed Rinku Singh for having a calm head under pressure.
Here are some of the top Twitter reactions :
So so happy for Rinku Singh. Deserves every bit of it! Was in smashing form for Uttar Pradesh and continuing it for KKR#IPL2022
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) May 2, 2022
Really like Rinku Singh. Excellent in the field and showing a calm head in the chase.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 2, 2022
What an Innings played by Rinku Singh. He came in under pressure situation in this run chase and he scored brilliant 42* runs from 23 balls including 6 Fours and 1 Six against RR in successful Run Chase. Well played, Rinku Singh. pic.twitter.com/nN0d7CU8tO
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) May 2, 2022
Thanks to Rinku Singh, non-KKR fans can also be a little happy with this finish. #IPL
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) May 2, 2022
A really good knock this by Rinku Singh on a difficult pitch. Came in when the match was still stuck, but he got going straight away and took the onus of finishing the chase. Completely overshadowed Rana in the partnership. Rana scored 17(15) while Rinku added 42 (23).
— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) May 2, 2022
Rinku Singh appreciation tweet.
35(28) vs Gujarat Titans
23(16) vs Delhi Capitals
42*(23) vs Rajasthan Royals (Today)Walked in to bat in difficult situations in every game and played valuable knocks every single time.#KKRvsRR
— Prasenjit Dey (@CricPrasen) May 2, 2022
He averages 60 odd in FC cricket. So glad Rinku Singh is finally getting a decent run – three crucial innings already in the games he's played. Made it very easy for KKR.
RR has to stop tinkering with that 4th OS spot and decide on one b/w RvD and Neesham #IPL2022 #KKRvRR
— Soorya Sesha (@sooryasesha7) May 2, 2022
Lord Rinku supremacy 🔥#KKRvRR pic.twitter.com/wWqiXUdu5m
— Harsh Mishra.. (@iamharsh55) May 2, 2022
https://twitter.com/dickjorsey/status/1521189306177495040?s=20&t=GAAQ6sa246H9y5Y5XbeG7w
And now @irbishi reveling in Rinku Singh's success with as much joy and pride as his father would. And that's another reason he is so likeable as a commentator. And it's such a genuine happiness in his voice. #KKRvRR
— TheRandomCricketPhotosGuy (@RandomCricketP1) May 2, 2022
Hetmyer’s late innings flourish helps RR score 152
After being invited to bat first, Rajasthan Royals got a shaky start. They lost the early wicket of Devdutt Padikkal. In-form Jos Buttler struggled for timing throughout the innings and got dismissed on 22 runs in 25 balls. Skipper Sanju Samson played a patient knock of 54 runs but he couldn’t accelerate in the end.
Later Shimron Hetmyer came to the crease and smashed KKR bowlers all around the ground. He played an important knock of 27 runs in 13 balls which helped Rajasthan post a target of 153 for KKR. However, it was not enough for them to win the match as the Kolkata franchise chased down the total with five balls to spare.
Written by Harsh Gupta
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