IPL 2023: 'Lord' Rinku joins Chris Gayle in an elite group

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Rinku Singh pulled off a miraculous victory for his side against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Sunday.

KKR needed 28 runs off the final five deliveries of their chase when Rinku came on the strike. He smashed GT pacer Yash Dayal for five straight sixes when the game appeared almost gone for the visitors at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

West Indies' Carlos Brathwaite did it back in 2016 with four sixes. Rinku went one step further tonight as he produced one of the greatest finishes in a T20 game.

With five sixes in the final over on Sunday, Rinku joined Chris Gayle and four other batters in a special group in the IPL. Rinku became just the sixth batsman to strike five sixes in a single over in the IPL, after Gayle (RCB) vs Rahul Sharma (PWI) in 2012, Rahul Tewatia (RR) vs Sheldon Cottrell (PBKS) in 2020, Ravindra Jadeja (CSK) vs Harshal Patel (RCB) in 2021, and Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder (LSG) vs Shivam Mavi (KKR) in 2022.

After his heroic knock, Rinku said, "Had the belief that I can do it. Last year I was in a similar situation in Lucknow. Had the belief back then too. Didn't think too much out there. Those shots just happened one after the other. That last one was back of the hand, and I struck it off the back foot."

Chasing GT's target of 205, KKR lost their openers early, but their middle-order brought their chase back on track. Rinku remained unbeaten on 48 off 21 balls, including six sixes and a four.

Yash Dayal's poor record

Meanwhile, Dayal claimed a mediocre record of the second-poorest spell in the IPL – 0 for 69. The record for most runs conceded in an IPL innings belongs to Basil Thampi, who gave 70 runs for no wicket while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2018.

KKR's successful 29 runs in the final over also was the highest target achieved in the last over off an innings in IPL. Second on the list is Rising Pune Supergiants' 23 runs against Punjab Kings in Vizag in 2016.

KKR captain Nitish Rana heaped praise on Rinku, saying the side believed in the 25-year-old UP batsman.

"We had a little belief. Rinku did something like this last year, although we didn't win that match. When the second six was struck, we started believing more because Yash Dayal wasn't executing that well. As a captain, it's important to have the belief. But this is a 1 in a 100 chance for something like this to happen. We were good with the ball except the last two overs. Same thing with the bat - that over from Rashid put us on the back foot. Credit goes to Rinku Singh.

"The two points we have from this game are thanks to him. People asked me why Rinku Singh doesn't get a bigger role, and always plays a small role. I want to say to those reporters if this is the second role, imagine what he can do with the first role. Last match he played a different role, and he did it well. To be honest, if I were batting and needed 30 off one over, the thought of having the belief would be there, but in your heart you know what you're capable of. I don't have words for him," added Nitish.

IPL 2023: 'We want to make winning a habit,' says Venkatesh Iyer

Rinku's KKR teammate Venkatesh Iyer called him 'Lord' for saving the day for the side with the "nail-biting finish." Venkatesh, who scored 83 off 40 balls, said the wicket was "quite good to bat on" as he and captain Nitish built a good partnership, but somewhere they lost their way.

"When the target is 200, you can't have silent overs. Nitish and I had a good partnership. Unfortunately, somewhere we lost our way but Lord Rinku saved the day. To be honest, we still believed that we could win. This teaches us that we should never give up until the last ball. This will be a great morale booster for us. We want to make winning a habit. I haven't been in great form. Tonight, I went out and played as late as possible. The bowlers were quick and I tried to use their pace, and that worked to my advantage," added Iyer.

GT's next game is on Thursday as they face off against Punjab Kings (PBKS), KKR's upcoming fixture is a home one against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday.