When Rinku Singh Nearly Pulled Off Miracle For KKR In IPL 2022 Against LSG
Rinku Singh in full flow against LSG in IPL 2022 (BCCI)
Rinku Singh shot himself to unprecedented fame when he pummeled defending champions Gujarat Titans with five successive sixes in the final five balls to seal a near-impossible victory for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2023 duel in Ahmedabad.
Notably, Rinku almost pulled off a similar heist back in 2022 when his side went up against the Lucknow Super Giants in their must-win game at the DY Patil Stadium.
When Rinku Singh almost took KKR home
Rinku Singh took field for the KKR in their final league fixture of the 2022 IPL season against the Lucknow Super Giants at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. While the KKR batting line-up was left to chase down a monumental 211-run target in their must-win game, they lost both openers early and were left to get 77 more runs from just their final five overs of the innings.
Rinku, batting at number seven, made his way to the crease in the 16th over following the dismissal of well-set batter Sam Billings. As it turned out, the elegant left-hander instantly shifted the game’s narrative with belligerent ball-striking, as he clubbed 22 runs from just 10 balls up until the penultimate over of the game.
Needing 17 more to get off just six balls, Rinku bludgeoned LSG pacer Marcus Stoinis with a boundary and two sixes in the final over, only to find Evin Lewis at cover thereafter while attempting to seal the deal for the KKR. The cricketer blasted 40 runs in all from just 15 deliveries, glittering his thunderous cameo with two boundaries and four maximums.
His untimely dismissal at the brink of the finishing line resulted in KKR’s narrow two-run defeat, thus crashing out of the IPL 2022 playoffs race.
Regardless, Rinku’s valiant efforts ensured he was retained by the KKR franchise for each of the subsequent two IPL seasons, and he soon went on to make his international debut for Team India.
 "Aakash Saini")
