IPL 2023: Rinku proves yet again why he is Knights' trump card

Rinku Singh likes the pressure situations. The Kolkata Knight Riders left-hander says he is enjoying his role as a finisher after playing yet another match-winning cameo against the Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens on Monday.

With a last-ball boundary in a thrilling finish, Rinku earned the Knights a five-wicket win and kept the hopes alive for a playoff berth.

It was a complete ‘RRR’ show by KKR as skipper Nitish Rana’s half-century and Andre Russell adding muscle to the chase of 180 before Rinku finished off the game with a 10-ball-21 not out.

"I didn't think about the last ball. Even when I hit those five sixes, I hadn't thought much," Rinku said after the match.

"I am getting used to batting in these situations since I come at No. 5-7. So I am practising for those situations too."

The gritty left-hander will have a big role to play if the KKR manages to make a deep run in the tournament.

Earlier, Varun Chakravarthy once again brilliantly spearheaded their bowling department to grab 3/26 as KKR put up a tidy bowling show to restrict PBKS to a below-par 179 for seven after the visitors opted to bat on a slow wicket.

In reply, KKR batting show was led by Rana’s stellar effort when he promoted himself to No 3 and laid the foundation with a 38-ball 51 (6×4, 1×6).

On a wicket where the odd ball was gripping and batters struggled to find their timing, Rana stiched a crucial fifty-plus stand with Venkatesh Iyer (11) before Russell and Rinku Singh sealed the issue.

Needing 56 off 28 balls after Rana became Rahul Chahar’s second victim, Russell went ballistic against Sam Curran smoking him for three sixes in four balls in a 20-run over to change the equation in favour of KKR who needed six off the last over.

But death over specialist Arshdeep Singh who had six to defend took it down the wire with four off first four balls. Arshedeep has often floundered of late failing to nail his yorkers.

There was more drama when Russell was ran out in the penultimate ball as a calm-headed Rinku once again came to KKR’s rescue sealing the win with a boundary off the last ball.

The duo off Russell and Rinku put together a matchwinning 54 runs partnership from 26 balls.

Their second win in a row pushed KKR (-0.079) past Royal Challengers Bangalore (-0.209) to top-five on net run-rate as five teams are locked a mid table rush for playoff with 10 points.

On a day Sunil Narine (4-0-29-0) was decent but went wicketless yet again, Chakravarthy relished the slow nature of the track where the odd ball was gripping to return with excellent figures of 4-0-26-3 after PBKS opted to bat.

It would have been worse for PBKS but the duo of Shahrukh Khan (21 not out; 8b) and Harpreet Brar (17 not out; 9b) brilliantly stepped it up in the last two overs that yielded 36 runs in a 40-run unbroken stand that came off just 16 balls.

Fresh from his last over heroics when he defended nine runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chakravarthy removed the Punjab’s in-form duo of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma that seemed to have broken their back in the middle overs.

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