GT vs KKR Review – Rinku Singh stuns Gujarat with an impossible chase
Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders squared off in the 13th match of the Indian Premier League at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, April 9. The two sides put up a nail-biting thriller and the game went down till the final over. Eventually, Rinku Singh’s blitzkrieg helped KKR win the contest on the final delivery of the game in the masterclass.
The day started with the hosts winning the toss and electing to bat first. Gujarat were without their regular skipper as Rashid Khan donned the captain’s hat for the game. Opening batters Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill started off well, but their partnership did not last long, thanks to Narayan Jagadeesan’s brilliant catch off Sunil Narine’s delivery which sent Saha packing.
Though Gill kept finding the gaps for boundaries, struggled to get going, and could not play in the usual manner. He was joined by Sai Sudharsan as the two youngsters stabilised the innings with the help of their 67-run stand for the second wicket. But Narine’s brilliance helped KKR get Gill out of their way. They also managed to dismiss Abhinav Manohar and took charge of the game.
Just when it looked like KKR were in the driver’s seat, Vijay Shankar’s sensible knock powered Gujarat’s innings as the hosts crossed the 200-run mark. Shankar was at his best as he notched up an unbeaten 63 off just 24 deliveries. He scored 46 runs in the 51-run fifth wicket stand that he shared with David Miller. As a result, Gujarat posted a 205-run target.
Kolkata’s start to the chase was sluggish as openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jagadeesan were dismissed within the powerplay. KKR brought in Venkatesh Iyer as the Impact Player, and that’s where the game changed. Iyer, who had been struggling to make it big at the tournament this year, played a magnificent innings. He brought KKR back in the driver’s seat.
Iyer was dismissed scoring 83 off 40. His wicket brought misery to Kolkata’s chase as other batters failed to carry the momentum forward. Skipper Rashid Khan changed the face of the game in no time by picking up a magnificent hat-trick in the 17th over and dismantling KKR’s batting unit.
KKR needed 29 to win off the last over, and the game came down the wire when Rinku Singh smashed four sixes in a row in the final over to bring the equation down to KKR needing four off the final delivery. The batter struck another huge maximum off the last ball and got the job done for KKR. The visitors defeated the hosts by three wickets in the nail-biting thriller.
Top performers from the match
Vijay Shankar
Vijay Shankar played one of the most memorable knocks for the Gujarat Titans. He resurrected his team’s innings when they were put under trouble. Shankar’s 24-ball 63* helped the side cross the 200-run mark on the scoreboard.
Venkatesh Iyer
Iyer looked like he would win the game for KKR remaining unbeaten, but was unfortunately dismissed for a 40-ball 83 towards the end of the chase. KKR lost two early wickets and were put in trouble. That is when Iyer stepped up to play one of his finest knocks of the tournament.
Rinku Singh
The GT vs KKR contest surely was the most entertaining game of the IPL 2023 so far. Rinku Singh fired with the bat out of nowhere and hit five sixes in a row to win the game for KKR off the ultimate delivery as the side emerged victorious by 3 wickets.
What’s next for both teams?
Gujarat Titans will square off against the high-flying Punjab Kings on April 13 at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, whereas Kolkata Knight Riders will go up against the struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 14 at their home ground- the Eden Gardens Stadium.
