Against Another Yash And Another Rinku Impossilbe Show
The platform was set for Rinku. Having just smashed 20 runs against Naveen, he was set to take on Yash Thakur with a target of 21 in hand.
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Aakash Chopra has repeated "Rinku hain to mumkin hai" numerous times throughout each of Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL 2023 encounters. On Saturday, Rinku had Eden Gardens dreaming again. As far as the semifinals were concerned, KKR had no remaining hope. During the Kolkata match between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Kolkata Knight Riders, their prospects were extinguished due to a poor net run rate.
Yet Eden Gardens wishes for a beautiful conclusion to a forgettable season, and with Rinku going off like a bomb, hope was alive and well. However, against another Yash, his mission-impossible performance fell short by a single run, as LSG won a nail-biter to advance to the quarterfinals.
Almost a month ago, against Gujarat Titans' Yash Dayal, at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, Rinku scored the season's best strike. With 29 required to win in the final over, he hit five consecutive sixes to give the visiting KKR team the victory.
Watch video here...https://twitter.com/ChhalRahaHuMain/status/1660110713287847936?s=20
Rinku demonstrated that the knock was no fluke by smashing sixes and fours every time he took the field for the remainder of the IPL 2023 season, with his batting statistics being the best in a chasing situation.
On Saturday, Rinku had the ideal opportunity. After smashing 20 runs against Naveen-ul-Haq, which included a hat-trick of fours and a six, the KKR star was set to face Yash Thakur with a target of 21 runs remaining.
Vaibhav Arora did the same thing Umesh Yadav did in that game against GT, when he took a single to put Rinku on strike with the first delivery. Yash's trajectory was designed to keep the ball from Rinku's arc. He began with a wide, but recovered to concede two dot balls, putting KKR beyond the target with 19 required off three deliveries. But the KKR were back in the game after Yash attempted another wide delivery. The next delivery, Rinku capitalized on Yash's anxiety by smashing an undercooked yorker over deep mid-wicket for six.
KKR and Rinku are familiar with the equation 12 required from 2, as Rinku accomplished the same feat a month prior against GT. However, when it mattered most, Yash delivered a wide yorker, and Rinku could only manage a four. The LSG quick then bowled a low full toss on the final ball, which Rinku struck for six over long on, but it was insufficient for KKR. LSG triumphed by a one-run margin.
Also See | Watch: Gambhir bangs the table repeatedly after LSG survive Rinku storm
"Feels like all 14 matches, I've spoken about Rinku. The entire globe has witnessed what he can do on the cricket field," KKR captain Nitish Rana later said when asked about the most positive aspect of the team's IPL 2023 journey.
