Rinku Singh, of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), thanked God and admitted that he had suffered a bit from a mental lapse in the tight chase against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their recent IPL 2026 clash on April 19, 2026.

RR had chosen to bat first and got a good start with Yashasvi Jaiswal (39) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (46) adding 81 runs in 8.4 overs. But after them, the RR batting collapsed as they managed only 155/9 in 20 overs. Kartik Tyagi took 3/22, and Varun Chakaravarthy took 3/14 for KKR.

In response, KKR lost both openers for ducks, but Cameron Green (27) and Rovman Powell (23) kept them in the game. Rinku Singh began his innings having scored just 79 runs from six games and was in a bad slump.

He arrived to bat when KKR were 52 for four in their pursuit of 156, and he began to steady the ship. Rinku's concentration wavered briefly as wickets fell at the other end.

He skied Ravindra Jadeja's delivery in the 11th over straight to Nandre Burger, who dropped it, giving Rinku a second opportunity. He took advantage of the occasion, smashing 53 runs off 34 balls and helping KKR win with two balls to spare.

After the game, Rinku admitted to having a mental lapse during the chase and expressed thankfulness for his good fortune.

“Sometimes it happens like that when a few things don’t go your way, so you feel that intensity. But it wasn’t like I was hesitating or unsure about playing my shots. My mindset was to take the game till the end because I had conversations with the coach and also with my batting partner. The idea was to take it deep since the match was in a tricky situation,” Rinku Singh said after the match.

He also talked about the reprieve he received and thanked God for being there for him.

“That’s what happens sometimes, sir. In that moment, the mind doesn’t work properly, and you end up playing such shots. But thankfully, luck was on my side, and we eventually won the match. Yes sir, that was in my mind as well. I had played quite a few innings and was waiting for a big one. This was a very good innings for me and also very important for my confidence.

There’s nothing like a fixed position for me. I can bat at number five, lower down the order, or even at number four. Wherever the team needs me, I’m ready to bat in that position. This will give us a lot of confidence because this is our first win of the season. From here, we will carry this momentum forward,” Rinku added.

KKR will now have a long break, after which they’ll face Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on April 26.