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Watch: Against another Yash, Rinku Singh's mission-impossible act falls short in Eden Gardens thriller vs LSG
On Saturday, the platform was set for Rinku. Having just smashed 20 runs against Naveen, he was set to take on Yash Thakur with a target of 21 in hand.
“Rinku hain to mumkin hai”, Aakash Chopra has often reiterated the remark multiple times through each of Kolkata Knight Riders' matches in IPL 2023. On Saturday, Rinku had Eden Gardens dreaming again. There was no hope for KKR left as far as playoffs hope mattered. A dismal net run rate led to their chances ending during the Lucknow Super Giants game in Kolkata. Yet Eden Gardens hopes for a beautiful finish to a forgettable season and with Rinku going bang-bang, hope was definitely alive. However, against another Yash, his mission-impossible act fell short by only a single run as LSG bagged the thriller to reach the playoffs.
Almost a month ago, against Yash Dayal of Gujarat Titans, at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, Rinku had scripted the knock of the season. With 29 to chase in the last over, he smashed five consecutive sixes to steal a victory for the visiting KKR side.
Over the rest of the season, Rinku showed that the knock was never a fluke as sixes and boundaries galore each time he took the ground, with his batting numbers being the best in a chasing scenario in IPL 2023.
On Saturday, the perfect platform was set for Rinku. Having just smashed 20 runs against Naveen-ul-Haq which comprised of a hat-trick of boundaries and a six, the KKR star was set to take on Yash Thakur with a target of 21 in hand.
Like in that game against GT, where Umesh Yadav had taken a single to put Rinku in strike for the first ball, Vaibhav Arora did a similar. Yash's plane was to keep the ball away from Rinku's arc. He started off with a wide, but pulled back to concede two dot balls leaving KKR out of the reach from the target with 19 required off three. But the KKR were once again in the game as Yash went for a wide ball again. Rinku then capitalised on a nervous Yash to smash the undercooked yorker for a six over deep mid-wicket on the next ball.
The equation of 12 required from two is familiar with KKR and with Rinku, who had pulled off the same against GT a month back. But when it mattered the most, Yash delivered a wide yorker and all Rinku managed was a four. The LSG quick then went for a low full toss on the last one which Rinku hit for a six over long on, but it just wasn't enough for KKR. LSG won by only one run.
— ChhalRaheHainMujhe (@ChhalRahaHuMain) May 21, 2023
"Feels like all 14 matches, I've spoken about Rinku. I am personally very happy for him (Rinku) and I don't really have words to describe about him because the entire world has seen what he can do on a cricket field," KKR skipper Nitish Rana later said when asked about the most positive part from the team's IPL 2023 journey.
