Sensational Rinku Singh Seals Famous Win For Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans
NDTV
Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh slammed five consecutive sixes to pull off a sensational three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday
Rinku Singh's stunning final over onslaught which handed Kolkata Knight Riders an unlikely win against Gujarat Titans on Sunday earned him a new moniker "lord" from his teammate Venkatesh Iyer, who himself slammed a 40-ball 83. The 25-year-old was at his brutal best, slamming five consecutive sixes in the last over en route an unbeaten 48 from 21 balls as KKR snatched a miraculous three-wicket win from the jaws of defeat against Gujarat Titans, for whom stand-in captain Rashid Khan recorded the first hat-trick of IPL 2023.
"It was a nail-biting finish, extremely happy that we won the game. Our coach has always said that we can score 200 on any given day. Honestly, the wicket was quite good to bat. When the target is 200, you can't have silent overs. I was just trying to execute my plans," Iyer said after the match.
"Me and Nitish had a good partnership. Unfortunately, somewhere we lost our way but Lord Rinku saved the day. To be honest, we still believed that we could win. This teaches us that we should never give up until the last ball." Iyer said the victory will be a "great morale-booster" for the team.
"We want to make winning a habit. I haven't been in great form. Tonight, I went out and played as late as possible. The bowlers were quick and I tried to use their pace, and that worked to my advantage," said Iyer, talking about his 55-ball 100-run stand with KKR skipper Nitish Rana (45) for the third wicket.
Gujarat Titans' stand-in skipper Rashid also praised Rinku for playing an outstanding innings when all odds were stacked against his side.
