GT vs KKR : Rinku Singh smashes 5 6s in final over, KKR win by 3 wkts

Rinku Singh did the unthinkable as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured a thrilling three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023 clash in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

With 29 required in the final over, Rinku smoked Yash Dayal for five consecutive maximums as KKR finished the daunting 205-run chase in the final ball of the match. Rinku returned unbeaten on 48 off 21 balls, which featured six maximums. His effort also overpowered Rashid Khan’s hattrick, which the Gujarat stand-in skipper had claimed earlier in the innings.

The Afghan spinner had removed Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur to complete his maiden hattrick in IPL. Earlier, Venkatesh Iyer (Impact Substitute) and Nitish Rana helped KKR recover from early blows in the chase.

The pair added 100 runs for the third wicket before Alzarri Joseph removed Rana for 45(29). Joseph then removed Iyer for 83(40). KKR had lost both openers cheaply before the duo joined the chase. Meanwhile, Vijay Shankar had crashed KKR’s party in the afternoon after Gujarat won the toss and opted to bat.

He smashed an unbeaten 63 off 24 balls to power Gujarat to 204/4. Shankar hit four boundaries and five maximums, and all the 6s came in the final two overs. It started with Shankar whacking Lockie Ferguson for a couple of maximums in the 19th over, before hammering Shardul Thakur for a hattrick of sixes in the final over.

Apart from Shankar, Sai Sudharsan carried forward his rich form and smashed consecutive 50s. He was dismissed for 53 off 38 balls by Sunil Narine, who scalped three wickets in his full quota.