Rampant Rinku demolishes Gujarat with five last-over sixes
At one stage in the game, Rinku was batting on 9 off 14 deliveries. The batter's onslaught began from the 5th ball of the 19th over, when he smashed Joshua Little for a six and a four off the final two deliveries. With 29 runs to win off the final over, Umesh Yadav – the other batter – took a single off the first ball. Rinku's barrage of sixes began when he smashed the second delivery towards extra cover for a huge six.
Rinku Singh produced an incredible performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the side's 2023 Indian Premier League game against Gujarat Titans on Sunday evening, as he smashed five successive sixes when the side needed 28 to win off the last five balls. Yash Dayal was at the receiving end of an exhibition in power-hitting from Rinku, as Kolkata Knight Riders registered an unbelievable three-wicket victory over the defending champions in Ahmedabad.
At one stage in the game, Rinku was batting on 9 off 14 deliveries. The batter's onslaught began from the 5th ball of the 19th over, when he smashed Joshua Little for a six and a four off the final two deliveries. With 29 runs to win off the final over, Umesh Yadav – the other batter – took a single off the first ball. Rinku's barrage of sixes began when he smashed the second delivery towards extra cover for a huge six.
Dayal, then, targetted his body but couldn't find the length; in search for a yorker, he bowled a full-toss and Rinku simply guided the ball over the fine leg boundary for another maximum. Dayal bowled another full toss -- this time way outside-off, and the batter opened his hands and dispatched the ball over cover.
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The third six followed a long chat between GT's stand-in skipper Rashid Khan and Dayal, but Rinku remained undeterred; he dispatched the fifth ball over long-on, and eventually won the game for the Knight Riders after he took the aerial route straight over the bowler's head.
Earlier, the Titans had won the toss and opted to bat first; Vijay Shankar produced a magical outing during the final overs of the game, as he remained unbeaten on 63 off just 24 deliveries, hitting four fours and five sixes.
The Titans were the more dominant side till the 19th over of the game, with Rashid even taking a hat-trick during the 17th over. The GT spinner removed big-ticket stars Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur off successive deliveries, but Rinku eventually guided the side home.
