Rinku Singh smashed five sixes to guide KKR to a thrilling victory over GT (Sportzpics)
Rinku Singh’s five straight sixes lifted Kolkata Knight Riders to a sensational 3-wicket win over Gujarat Titans as Rashid Khan’s hat-trick went in vain
Rinku Singh did the unthinkable against Gujarat Titans, the Kolkata Knight Riders middle-order batter smashed five sixes in a row, and he scored 48 runs in just 21 runs, to help KKR pull away with a thrilling last-gasp victory over Rashid Khan’s side.
Khan was leading the defending champions in Hardik Pandya’s absence who was unwell, the Afghanistan spinner nearly turned the match in his side’s favour with the first hat trick of IPL 2023, Rashid dismissed Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur back-to-back however, Rinku had other ideas.
Yash Dayal bowled the final over with 29 runs needed off just six balls which seemed like a bit too much, however, Rinku smashed five sixes in a row, turning the match on its head and the two-time champs KKR picked up a thrilling victory!
Rinku Singh completely changed the course of the match as the Titans appeared to be cruising to a straightforward victory.
Earlier, Rashid won the toss and elected to bat first, Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha gave their side a good platform to build upon. The GT openers scored 33 runs before Saha departed, and Gill continued his knock.
The youngster scored 39 runs, Sai Sudharsan scored a fifty to keep the scoreboard ticking and then came the storm, Vijay Shankar smashed a 63-run knock in 24 balls.
IPL 2023 Points Table: Check Team Standings, Team Points, Wins, Losses & Orange Cap, Purple Cap
Shankar smashed 3 sixes in a row against Shardul Thakur helping his side reach a total of 204/4. It was the first time in IPL 2023 that a 200-plus total was successfully chased down.
Kolkata Knight Riders lost early wickets, they were 28/2 in a massive chase but Venkatesh Iyer gave his side a glimmer of hope.
Iyer came on an impact sub replacing young Suyash Sharma and smashed 83 runs in 40 balls. He kept hitting the ball into the stands, helping his side reach close to the target but disaster struck when Rashid dismissed Russell, Narine and Shardul on consecutive balls, picking up the first hat-trick in IPL 2023.
IPL 2023: Orange Cap Complete List of Batters with Most Runs, Check here
(More to follow..)
Get the latest Cricket News, IPL 2023 Live Score, Orange Cap and Purple Cap holder details here