(UTV | INDIA) – Against Rajasthan Royals, KKR were chasing a target of 153 and yet they were in a sort of trouble. The pitch was getting slower with every ball and it showed as they were reduced to 92/3 when skipper Shreyas Iyer was dismissed.
They still needed 60 more. Things could have got worse had Rinku Singh didn’t step in with the bat. Nitish Rana (48 not out) anchored the chase, while Rinku Singh played a 23-ball unbeaten 42-run cameo to help KKR overwhelm the target with consummate ease.
New man Singh marked his arrival at the crease with a boundary of the first ball. Needing 46 off 30 balls, Singh played the shot of the day, a paddle scoop to a 141 kmph Sen delivery on his legs high and mighty over the fine leg fence.
The youngster from Aligarh meant business as he found the fence at crucial junctures to first bring down the equation to 31 runs off 18 balls. Singh continued his onslaught against Prasidh, who conceded 17 runs in the penultimate over, which included two boundaries from the left-hander’s blade, as KKR wrapped up the match in style.
Moreover, the opportunities were harder to come by. Singh, who was later adjudged Man of the Match, revealed that he got his first opportunity in five years.
“A lot of players have played Ranji from Aligarh, but I am the first to play the IPL. This is a big league and there is a lot of pressure obviously. I have been waiting for the last five years to get a chance. I worked very hard, came back from injury and did well in the domestic circuit as well. When I was batting, Bhaiyya (Rana) and Baz (McCullum) told me to stay till the end and finish it.”
Kolkata Knight Riders defeated in-form Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to snap their five-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League.