IPL 2023, GT vs KKRLord Rinku saved the day, says Venkatesh Iyer after Rinku Singh’s heroics

By India Today Sports DeskVenkatesh Iyer heaped praise on Rinku Singh after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, April 9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With the Knight Riders needing 29 runs off the last over, Iyer smashed left-arm pacer Yash Dayal for five sixes in a row.

Rinku stayed unbeaten on 48 runs off 21 balls as the Men in Gold and Purple recorded their second-highest successful run-chase in the history of the IPL.

“It was a nail-biting finish and I’m extremely happy with the way we won. Our coach has maintained that we can score 200 from any position. Tonight was another example that we will never give up as a team. The wicket was quite good to bat and I was just trying to execute my plans,” Iyer told after the match.

After KKR lost the early wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and N Jagadeesan, Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana restored sanity to proceedings. The duo out on 100 runs for third wicket and helped the Knights stay alive in the match.

“When the target is 200, you cannot have silent overs. Me and Nitish had a nice partnership and that set the tone. We lost wickets then but thankfully, Lord Rinku saved the day. We still felt we could win the game, though, and that we could chase anything. This teaches us a lesson that we should not give up until the last ball. It will be a great morale-boost for us,” he stated.

Although it was Rinku who won the Player of the Match award for his last-over heroics, Iyer also played his part. Iyer, who came in as an Impact Player, scored 83 runs off 40 balls with eight fours and five sixes.

“I have not been in great form but tonight, I just wanted to go out there and execute my plan of playing late. When the bounce is good, you tend to hang back and use the pace. Their bowlers were quick so I tried to use their pace and it worked to my advantage,” Iyer added.

The Knight Riders also broke Rising Pune Supergiant’s record of the highest target achieved in the last over of an IPL match.