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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squared off at Eden Gardens in match number 68 of the ongoing IPL 2023 on Saturday, May 20.
The contest proved to be a closely fought battle, with Lucknow eking out a narrow one-run victory. With this win, Krunal Pandya and Co. have officially qualified for the playoffs, while KKR have been eliminated from the race.
Kolkata won the toss and decided to field first in the crucial encounter. While Lucknow's top-order batters failed to score runs at a brisk pace, Nicholas Pooran stepped up with yet another clutch knock.
The southpaw hit a quick-fire fifty, finishing with 58 runs off 30 balls, helping his side post a competitive total of 176 runs after 20 overs. For Kolkata, Vaibhav Arora, Shardul Thakur, and Sunil Narine bagged two wickets, while Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy bagged a solitary scalp each.
KKR opener Jason Roy impressed many with his batting exploits, scoring 45 runs in 28 balls. However, it was Rinku Singh who stole the show with his blitz towards the back end.
The left-handed batter remained unbeaten on 67 off just 33 deliveries. He nearly took his team to victory with his explosive batting. While his side lost the encounter, Rinku received praise from all quarters for his exceptional performance.
Ravi Bishnoi was the pick of the bowlers for LSG, taking two wickets while conceding just 23 runs from his full quota of four overs.
On that note, here's a look at three instances that created a buzz during the KKR vs LSG match.
#1 Rinku Singh's gigantic 110-meter six
Naveen-ul-Haq was handed the ball for the crucial penultimate over of the run chase by LSG captain Krunal Pandya. However, he was taken to the cleaners by Rinku Singh, going for 20 runs.
Rinku started the over with a hat-trick of fours. However, it was the six that he hit on the fifth ball that captivated onlookers. The swashbuckling left-hander played a wonderful flick shot that travelled deep into the stands. The shot was measured at a whopping 110 meters.
In total, the talented youngster smashed six fours and four maximums.
#2 Naveen-ul-Haq silencing the Eden Gardens crowd
LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has been on the receiving end of trolls ever since his heated exchange with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli earlier in the tournament.
A few clips went viral on social media, in which the crowd at Eden Gardens can be heard chanting for Kohli when Naveen was bowling. The fast bowler, however, gave it back to the crowd following the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
The KKR batter perished in the 14th over while trying to play a big shot. Ravi Bishnoi took a juggling catch running backwards from point. Once the catch was completed, Naveen was seen asking the fans to remain quiet by putting his finger on his lips.
#3 Rinku Singh not trying to sneak a double in the final over
It was all up to Rinku Singh in the final over, as KKR required 21 runs off six balls. Vaibhav Arora did the right thing on the first ball, taking a single and giving the strike to Rinku.
On the third ball of the over Rinku played the ball down to deep mid-wicket. The power-hitter didn't run since he wanted to remain on strike.
However, some fans thought that he could have taken the risk of running two runs. While the southpaw managed to hit two sixes and a four off the last three deliveries, the Kolkata-based side fell agonizingly short by one run.
