Rinku Singh is having a fantastic season in the IPL 2023, having played a number of match-winning knocks for Kolkata Knight Riders. He again led his team to victory in their final match against Punjab Kings on Monday, May 8, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. With Rinku and Andre Russell at the crease, KKR needed just six runs off the final over to reach its target of 180.
As a result of Arshdeep Singh’s tight delivery, the equation was reduced to two runs required off the final ball. Rinku once again excelled under duress when he smashed the final delivery for four to fine leg, securing a memorable victory for his team. The entire audience was chanting Rinku’s name while he was batting, which is something he’s earned this year, KKR captain Nitish Rana said as he lauded Rinku after another incredible finish.
“I just keep telling him to believe in himself because what he has accomplished is something few people will ever accomplish. When he was at bat, the entire audience chanted “RINKU, RINKU.” This year, he has earned this amount. I’ve been with this franchise for many years, and I’m used to hearing the Eden crowd chant “Russell, Russell”; however, hearing them chant “Rinku, Rinku” makes me feel extremely pleased and proud. “That’s the respect he’s earned this season,” Rana said after the game.
In the 16th over of the innings, with KKR requiring 56 runs off the final 28 balls to win, the Aligarh-born batsman walked to the crease. He and Andre Russell added 54 runs off 27 deliveries for the fifth wicket to put their team on the verge of victory. Russell was named Player of the Match for his sensational 42 off 23 balls, while Rinku remained unblemished with 21* off 10 balls.
Varun Chakravarthy remains lethal and has taken three wickets.
In addition, KKR captain Nitish Rana scored a magnificent fifty (51 off 38 deliveries) and Jason Roy scored 38 off 24 balls to help KKR win by five wickets. Earlier, in the first innings, KKR limited Punjab to 179/7, with Varun Chakravarthy taking three wickets for 26 runs in four overs and Harshit Rana taking two wickets for 33 runs in three overs.
Following their victory, the squad led by Nitish Rana is now ranked fifth with five victories from eleven contests. They will next encounter Rajasthan Royals on May 11 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against Rajasthan Royals.
