Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) middle-order batter Rinku Singh was ecstatic as he celebrated the franchise’s third Indian Premier League (IPL) title win. Rinku has been in the KKR camp for seven years. Despite a stellar last season, KKR missed the playoffs sport but under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy they dominated teams and won the final comprehensively. Rinku was excited as he met KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on May 26. He hugged him and said ‘God’s plan is complete’ with an expletive in the middle.
“Outstanding feeling right now. Dream has come true - I have been here for 7 years and we are so happy. Credit to GG sir. I will finally lift the IPL trophy. It was God's plan,” Rinku told the broadcasters after KKR chased down the target of 114 with 57 balls to spare.
Rinku's services with the bat were not required against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 39 whereas Venkatesh Iyer scored an unbeaten half-century.
However, the 26-year-old was not in good form with the bat. He scored 168 runs at an average of 18.67 with a high score of 26. His strike rate was of 148.67 was stil close to his last season's.
While none of the IPL 2024 finalists featured a player from India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, Rinku is the only player who is a part of travelling reserves.
Skipper Shreyas lauded his teammates on the win and labeled the team ‘invincible’.
“Absolutely comprehensive. This is what we demanded from the team and every individual. They stood up to the right occasion and the feeling is hard to express. It (wait) was so long, longer than the match. We played like invincibles throughout the season. There's so much to cherish right now. It is pleasing, the performance has been flawless throughout. I am running out of words right now. We have been tremendous from game one, we stepped up today,” Shreyas said.
“All we demanded from ourselves was to back each other whatever the situation is. The game could have either way. They have been playing phenomenal cricket - SRH - throughout the season. We were lucky to bowl first and every situation went in our favour. Thanks to SRH the way they played. Looking forward to play more competitive cricket,” he added.
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