The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a triumphant return to the Eden Gardens, securing a resounding 81-run victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 9th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The star performer of the match was Shardul Thakur, who was awarded the Player of the Match title for his outstanding performance.
However, it was not just Thakur who played a crucial role in KKR's victory. Left-handed batsman Rinku Singh also made a significant contribution to the team's success, scoring an impressive 46 off 33 balls in a total of 204. Singh's on-field heroics were followed by his leadership in the dressing room, where he led KKR's celebrations. The team's co-owner, Shah Rukh Khan, also joined in the festivities.
SRK teased Rinku by saying that the players would follow him. The KKR team then unitedly sang the team's anthem and celebrated their victory in a grand manner.
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Talking about the match, KKR won the toss and chose to bat first. However, they got off to a rocky start and were struggling at 47/3 after just 6.1 overs. Things went from bad to worse when Karn Sharma bowled a devastating 12th over, taking back-to-back wickets and leaving KKR in a precarious position.
But then, Shardul Thakur stepped up to the plate. The bowling all-rounder put on an incredible performance, smashing 68 runs off just 29 deliveries with a strike-rate of 234.48. He hit 9 boundaries and 3 sixes, and his partnership with Rinku for the sixth wicket was crucial in taking KKR close to the 200-run mark.
Rinku played a supporting role in the partnership, allowing Shardul to do the heavy lifting. Together, they added 103 runs and gave KKR a fighting chance.
When it was RCB's turn to bat, they got off to a great start and were nearing the 50-run mark in the powerplay. But once KKR captain Nitish Rana introduced spin, RCB's batsmen struggled to score and eventually got bowled out for just 123.
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