INDIA: Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off a stunning last-ball victory against the Gujarat Titans with Rinku Singh hitting five sixes in the final over at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The IPL 2023 match between GT and KKR was a high-scoring affair that saw some explosive batting from both teams.
GT won the toss and decided to bat first. They got off to a steady start, with opener Shubman Gill scoring 39 off 31 balls. However, it was Vijay Shankar’s unbeaten knock of 63 off 24 balls that stole the show.
Shankar’s innings included four boundaries and five maximums, all of which came in the final two overs of the innings. Sai Sudharsan also contributed with a well-crafted 53 off 38 balls.
Sunil Narine was the pick of the KKR bowlers, taking three wickets for 33 runs in his four overs. Suyash Sharma also chipped in with one wicket while conceeding 35 runs. GT ended their innings at 204/4 in their allotted 20 overs.
In response, KKR got off to a good start, with Venkatesh Iyer playing a blistering knock of 83 off just 40 balls. Alzari Joseph dismissed Nitish Rana after he had forged a 100-run partnership with Iyer.
Rashid Khan then dealt KKR a big blow by taking a Hat-trick and removing Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur off successful deliveries.
It was now almost GT’s game as the last over demanded 29 runs. Rinku Singh then stepped up and smashed five sixes in the last over to take KKR to a thrilling victory. Singh remained unbeaten on 48 off 21 balls.
Rashid Khan was the pick of the GT bowlers, taking three wickets for 37 runs in his four overs. Alzarri Joseph also bowled well, taking two wickets for 27 runs.
In the end, KKR won the match off the last ball by 3 wickets. It was a great contest between the two teams, with both sides displaying some excellent batting skills.
GT will be disappointed with the loss but can take some positives from the match, particularly Vijay Shankar’s blistering knock and Rashid Khan’s hat-trick. KKR, on the other hand, will be delighted with the win and will look to carry the momentum forward in their next match.
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