Rinku Singh hammered 5 consecutive sixes in 20th over by Yash Dayal to hand KKR the win.
Thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s 53 and Vijay Shankar’s impactful 63* in 24 balls, GT posted 204/4 in 20 overs after stand-in captain Rashid Khan won the toss and chose to bat first.
Though Venkatesh Iyer made a sublime 83 in 40 balls and Nitish Rana made 45 runs, KKR looked dead and buried when they required 43 runs in last 12 balls. But Rinku Singh hit Josh Little for a six and a four to bring the equation to 29 runs in 6 balls.
After Umesh Yadav took a single off the first ball by Yash Dayal, Rinku Singh caused carnage as the next five deliveries all went sailing over the boundary for five consecutive sixes, resulting in him scoring 30 runs by himself and handing KKR an unforgettable win by 3 wickets.
Rinku remained unbeaten on 48 in 21 balls and was right named the Player of the Match.
After the match, KKR's full-time captain Shreyas Iyer, who isn't a part of the squad for this season owing to an injury, made a video call to Rinku. Iyer couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Rinku do the unthinkable at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
He gave a call to the batter, who was also joined by the franchise's stand-in skipper Nitish Rana.
Here is the conversation:
Rinku: "Bhaiya, kaise ho? (How are you, brother?) God's plan!" Shreyas: "Rinku bhaiya zindabad (Long live Rinku!)."
Nitish (joining the call later): "Dekh raha tha ki nahi? Yaad aa rahi hai teri (Did you watch the innings? We are missing you)"
Nitish: "Rinku keh raha tha last year ki tarah chhodunga nahi, Khatm karke aaunga. (Rinku said he won't miss it like last year. He will finish the game),"
Shreyas: Flashback aa gaya saamne (I got flashbacks of that game).
The Kolkata Knight Riders will now return to action on April 14 when they return to Eden Gardens for the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad,