On April 9, Rinku Singh of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made history by chasing down the most runs during the 20th over of an IPL game against the defending champions, Gujarat Titans (GT), at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Singh's jaw-dropping performance included smashing five consecutive sixes when Kolkata required 28 runs off their last five deliveries, resulting in one of the best run chases in the tournament's history.
Unfortunately for GT's Yash Dayal, he was on the receiving end of Singh's wrath, becoming the second-worst bowler of the game and giving away 69 runs in his four overs. The 25-year-old looked extremely disappointed as his GT teammates consoled him soon after the game finished.
Singh's heroics with the bat came just two days after Dayal congratulated him for his 46 off 33 balls in a match-winning cause against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens. In that game, Singh shared a 103-run partnership with Shardul Thakur for the sixth wicket, helping KKR fight back and post 204/7 after a batting collapse. Kolkata won that game by 81 runs.
In an Instagram post, Singh thanked fans as Eden Gardens hosted an IPL game three years after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 25-year-old captioned the post:
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“Memorable victory. Special mention to all our wonderful fans for turning up in huge numbers and having our back.”
“Big player bhai," Rinku acknowledged the response and replied “Bhai,” with love and clap emojis.
Taling about KKR vs GT match, Rinku Singh smashed an incredible 48 runs off just 21 balls while chasing a target of 204, leaving the opposition reeling.
But Singh wasn't the only star of the show. Venkatesh Iyer also shone with the bat, scoring a blistering 83 off just 40 deliveries. Captain Nitish Rana, who had been having a quiet campaign up until this point, also made a valuable contribution with 45 off 29 balls. Together, the duo set the stage for Singh to finish the job, sharing a century partnership for the third wicket and helping KKR recover from a shaky start at 28/2.
Despite the loss, the Gujarat Titans had reason to celebrate as well. Stand-in captain Rashid Khan took the first hat trick of the ongoing IPL 2023, dismissing Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur during the 17th over. It was an impressive feat, even in defeat.
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