What happened the last time GT hosted KKR in Ahmedabad in IPL?
When fans think about Gujarat Titans (GT) clashing with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the first name that is likely to pop up is that of India batter Rinku Singh. The two sides are set to square off in the 63rd match of the ongoing 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday (May 13).
KKR chased down the 205-run target in thrilling fashion the last time the two teams met at this venue in IPL 2023, courtesy of Rinku’s five sixes off the final five deliveries of the game. Yash Dayal was left teary-eyed as he ended up conceding 31 runs in the final over.
It all started with the home side winning the toss and electing to bat first. After a shaky start to the innings, which saw opener Wriddhiman Saha being dismissed in the powerplay, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan stitched together a 67-run stand for the second wicket.
GT lost a couple of wickets quickly then but Vijay Shankar’s unbeaten innings of a 24-ball 63 made sure that the team posted a good total of 204/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for KKR as he finished with figures of 3/33 in four overs.
KKR’s start to the chase was scary, as they lost both their opening batters inside the powerplay, in the third and fourth overs. It was then Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer’s 100-run partnership for the third wicket that put the visitors on track again.
What followed next was a mini collapse, as KKR lost five wickets between the 14th to 17th overs and were left struggling at 155/7. Rinku Singh being the only remaining batter on the field, Umesh Yadav played second fiddle, allowing the former to be in the zone and get the runs.
Rinku Singh turns impossible to 'I'm Possible'
With 29 needed off the last over, it looked impossible for KKR to clinch a win from there but Rinku worked his magic with the bat and pulled off the unimaginable.
Umesh Yadav, who faced the first ball of the final over, took a quick single to pass on the strike to the 26-year-old, who had smashed 10 runs off the last two deliveries of the penultimate over.
Facing the second ball of the last over, Rinku smashed it over wide long off to get the first maximum of the over. He notched the ball over the deep backward square leg to get another six runs to his name and reduce the equation.
Rinku made it three in a row and clobbered the next delivery over long off, thereby building pressure on the opposition. With 10 runs needed off the last two deliveries, he racked up another six over the long-on off the second-last ball.
KKR needed four to win the game three to level scores and induce a super over. Rinku pulled off a miracle by hitting the fifth consecutive six off the final delivery, again over long on, to seal a nail-biting three-wicket win for the visitors.
While nobody even imagined KKR crossing the 200-run mark at one point, Rinku Singh’s 48* (21) made sure that the Men in Purple got over the line emphatically. The entire stadium erupted in joy and the entire KKR dugout was out on the field to lift Rinku out of ecstasy.