Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer Salute 'Sensational Talent' Rinku for Almost Helping KKR Pull Off Heist

Rinku Singh smashed an unbeaten 67 not off just 33 balls but could not take his side to victory as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) got a thrilling one-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (175/7) in match number 68 of Indian Premier League (IPL) to qualify for the Playoffs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.

IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants – HIGHLIGHTS

Social Media Salutes Rinku:

Chasing a fighting total, openers Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer got KKR off to a blazing start, scoring 61/1 after 5.5 overs. Roy was the aggressor, but Iyer wasn’t far behind, blazing fours and sixes indiscriminately throughout the powerplay. The penultimate ball of the Power-play saw Iyer depart for 24 off Krishnappa Gowtham but the Power-play firmly belonged to KKR.

However, the LSG spinners dragged their team back into the game by taking crucial wickets at regular intervals. KKR’s downslide started when leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, in his very first over, got rid of their skipper Nitish Rana (8), who couldn’t judge the ball, got an edge and his counterpart Krunal Pandya took a simple catch.

Roy was looking very dangerous with his 28-ball 45 but LSG skipper Krunal Pandya bowled the England batter to put a big dent in KKR’s run chase and leave them at 82/3 after 10 overs.

Not only did LSG manage to pick wickets at crucial times, but they also put pressure on KKR batters and gave 6, 6, 9 and 5 runs from overs 11th to 14th. In between, they also got rid of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who flattered to deceive in his 15-ball struggle for 10 runs before mistiming a slower one from Yash Dayal that he did not read.

With big-hitter Andre Russell and proven match-winner Rinku Singh at the crease, KKR needed 63 from 30 balls. In the third ball of Bishnoi’s over, Russell hit a straight six and the crowd at Eden found their voices again. However, Bishnoi cleaned up Russell (7) in the next delivery to have the last laugh.

From there on, Rinku had a big responsibility on his shoulders and though the left-hander managed to hit a few boundaries and sixes, he kept losing partners from the other end as Shardul Thakur (3) also couldn’t do much and got out to Yash Thakur. Two balls later, Sunil Narine fell in a suicidal run-out,

KKR needed 41 from 12 balls and Rinku decided to put up a fight. He smashed Naveen-ul-Haq for three four and a six, scoring a total of 20 overs in the 19th over to keep KKR alive in the chase.

With 21 needed from six balls, Rinku Singh got the strike in the second ball of the over and he hit Yash Thakur for two sixes and a four but it was not enough as KKR eventually fell short by 1 run.

With this win, LSG became the third team to qualify for playoffs in the ongoing IPL 2023 season, having 17 points in 14 matches. On the other hand, KKR got eliminated after suffering a close defeat.

(With inputs from Agencies)