[Watch] KKR captain Nitish Rana shares an interesting Rinku Singh story after thrilling victory
Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) produced the most exciting finish of this year's IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. In a high-scoring thriller featuring some of the most enterprising batting, the Knight Riders edged the home team by three wickets in the last over.
While the game witnessed heroics from several players like Vijay Shankar, Sai Sudharshan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Rashid Khan, the day belonged to the 25-year-old Rinku Singh. With the Knight Riders needing 28 off five balls, the southpaw stunned the cricketing world by hitting five consecutive sixes off the bowling of Yash Dayal to pull off the heist.
His innings of 48* from 21 balls consisted of one four and six stupendous sixes. The innings ranks among the best in IPL history as KKR won their second straight game and moved to second in the points table.
After the match, KKR Skipper Nitish Rana narrated an interesting story about Rinku Singh claiming his bat before his masterclass. Rana disclosed that this was the bat he used for the entire Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and the first two matches this season. The delighted Skipper also cheekily mentioned that Rinku now owns the bat.
Here is the video shared by the franchise's Twitter handle:
Rinku claimed the match & 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵! 💜
#GTvKKR | #AmiKKR | #TATAIPL 2023 | @NitishRana_27 | @rinkusingh235 https://t.co/vHWVROar8P
Rinku Singh also played a vital knock during KKR's first win of the season against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, when he made 46 off 33 balls to get his side out of trouble alongside Shardul Thakur.
Coming off an impressive IPL in 2022, where he averaged 34.80 at a strike rate of 148.72, Rinku has started the 2023 season even better, averaging 49 at a strike rate of 149.
KKR skipper Nitish Rana gives Rinku Singh a celebratory hug
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Nitish Rana could not hide his excitement after Rinku Singh's heroics helped the side pull off a miraculous victory. The win helped KKR dethrone the Gujarat Titans in the points table and move into second place.
After the wild post-match celebrations, Rana gave Rinku another celebratory hug for the latter's masterclass earlier in the day.
Here is the video shared by KKR's Twitter handle.
That hug was from all of us! 💜🤗
#GTvKKR | #AmiKKR | #TATAIPL 2023 | @NitishRana_27 | @rinkusingh235 https://t.co/lPx9z0OS7Q
Speaking post-match, Rana could not believe what he had witnessed and was full of praise for the talented Rinku Singh:
"We had belief because Rinku had done something similar last year, although we did not win. After the second six, we started to believe more because Yash Dayal was also not executing well. You win one out of a hundred matches this way."
Rana added:
"This result, though, is only down to Rinku and his brilliance. People asked me why Rinku does not play a bigger role. If this is his secondary role, then imagine what he can do in a primary role. I do not have words to describe Rinku's innings."
The Kolkata Knight Riders will return home to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 14, while the Gujarat Titans will take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Punjab on April 13.