Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pocket-sized middle-order batter Rinku Singh produced one of the moments of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and possibly one of the top moments in whole of IPL as he blasted five sixes off five balls in the last over of the run chase against Gujarat Titans to pull-off an extraordinary run chase.
Batting first GT had set a target of 208 for KKR to win the match. The match seemed dead and buried for KKR as they were left 176/7 after 19 overs. That meant that two-time champions KKR needed 29 runs off the last over to win the match with Singh and Umesh Yadav left in the middle.
With GT in a slightly comfortable position, the team's stand-in skipper Rashid Khan handed the responsibility to bowl the most decisive over of the game to left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal.
Before Dayal stepped up to bowl, he had given away 38 runs runs from his preceding 3 overs.
The match looked all the more titled in GT's favour as it was Yadav who had to face the first delivery of the last over.
But Yadav possibly took the most important single of his KKR career as he steered the first ball of the last over towards deep mid-wicket for a single and hand Singh the strike.
The equation for KKR now stood at 28 needed off 5 balls with Singh on strike. No one following the match could have dared to imagine what transpired in next five deliveries.
Singh dared his luck, chanced his arms and in a display of brilliant power hitting smashed Dayal for five sixes in five balls to pull off a win for KKR from the jaws of defeat.
The first six was over extra-cover of a full-toss that was wide outside the off stump.
Then, Dayal then dished out another full toss which Singh whipped off his pads to make the ball sail over backward square-leg.
Under pressure now, Dayal failed to control his deliveries as he sent down a third successive full toss which Singh powered over long-off boundary.
With 19 runs already conceded Dayal was called in a team meeting that was attended by Rashid and David Miller.
Rashid and Miller's words had little effect of Dayal as he next bowled a slower back of the hand delivery short of length. To this Singh flat-batted the ball over long-on to make 4 sixes in 4 balls.
Finally Dayal bowled a slow short ball on the last delivery of the over which Singh muscled over long-off to make it 5 sixes in 5 balls to complete one of the most remarkable run chases in IPL history.
Watch: Rinku Singh's 5 sixes off five balls below
"Because he's the Knight #KKR deserves and the one they need right now" - Rinku Singh 😎#GTvKKR #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/b1QrN3fLjX
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 9, 2023
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