NEW DELHI: '6, 6, 6, 6, 6' - Yes you read it right. Rinku Singh on Sunday smashed five sixes in a row to help Kolkata Knight Riders stun defending champions Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller in the Indian Premier League at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Needing 29 runs to win off the final over, while chasing a massive 205-run target, Rinku's pyrotechnics helped KKR score 31 runs off it, two more than required.
Pacer Yash Dayal was at the receiving end of the blitzkrieg, after starting the 20th over with Umesh Yadav on the strike for KKR. Umesh did the right thing by taking a single off the first delivery and gave Rinku an outside chance as they needed 28 off five balls.
It began with Yash bowling a wide full toss and Rinku reached out to smoke it over extra cover to keep KKR’s hopes alive. It changed the scenario to 22 off 4 balls.
Under pressure Yash delivered another full toss, this time on the pads, and Rinku whipped it over backward square leg for second successive maximums. That left KKR needing 16 off the last three deliveries.
Yash again bowled the third full toss in a row, and again Rinku whacked it for the third six over long-off.
Titans' stand-in skipper Rashid Khan, who was leading the side in the absence of unwell Hardik Pandya, rushed towards the young pacer along with David Miller to calm him down after the fourth delivery. Rashid had earlier turned the tide in Titans’ favour by taking the first hat-trick of the season in the 17th over.
After three full tosses, Yash went for a short of the length slower one, but Rinku was ready too. The KKR batter smashed it straight down the ground over long-on for another six to make it 4 off 1 for the visitors.
Under tremendous pressure, Yash again bowled another slower short ball and Rinku finished off the dramatic run chase in style, hitting it straight down the ground for the fifth six and ran off with both hands raised in celebration.
Rinku ended unbeaten on 48 off 21 balls, which included six sixes and a four, and the match-winning knock inflicted Gujarat Titans their first defeat of the season.
Soon, social media are flooded with praise for the sensational Rinku Singh.
