[Watch] Shreyas Iyer goes berserk after Rinku Singh hit final ball for six in GT vs KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) regular skipper Shreyas Iyer celebrated enthusiastically following his team's remarkable victory against the defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday (April 9).
The two-time IPL winners beat the Titans, who were without Hardik Pandya, on their home turf at the Narendra Modi Stadium by three wickets.
After being asked to chase a daunting score of 205 against a formidable Titans bowling unit, Venkatesh Iyer (83 as an Impact substitute) and stand-in skipper Nitish Rana (45) put up a crucial 100-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Titans fast bowler Alzarri Joseph removed both Venkatesh and Rana in his successive overs. GT stand-in skipper Rashid Khan claimed the wickets of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur in the 17th over to account for his fourth hat-trick in T20 cricket.
Khan's hefty blows kept the visitors under the pump as the required rate was more than 21 runs in the last couple of overs.
Rinku Singh smashed Joshua Little for a six and a boundary in the last two balls of the penultimate over to leave youngster Yash Dayal with 29 runs to defend in the last over.
Umesh Yadav rotated the strike on the very first delivery and Rinku was in the mood for maximum destruction. The southpaw slammed five straight sixes against his Uttar Pradesh teammate to pull off one of the most sensational chases in IPL history.
Just after Rinku flat-batted a six straight down the fence off the final ball of the game, Shreyas Iyer (while watching the game on TV) exclaimed in excitement and threw his clenched fist in the air to celebrate the win.
Celebration by Shreyas Iyer when Rinku Singh won it for KKR. https://t.co/XyWbqIsj8Q
Why is Shreyas Iyer missing from the KKR camp in IPL 2023?
Shreyas Iyer has been marred with a recurring back injury since returning from India's tour of Bangladesh in December last year.
Iyer missed the first Test against Australia in Nagpur but played the next two games in Delhi and Indore. However, he did not come out to bat in the first innings of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad and was eventually ruled out of the game.
The 28-year-old was later ruled out of the first half of IPL 2023. If reports are to be believed, then the KKR skipper is set to travel abroad for surgery regarding his back injury and will miss action for three months.
There has been no confirmation from either the player, his franchise or the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) regarding the surgery.
Left-handed batter Nitish Rana is currently leading KKR in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. The team has now tasted back-to-back victories after losing their first game against the Punjab Kings.