Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign came to a screeching halt on May 20 (Saturday) after the franchise suffered an agonising one-run defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Eden Gardens Stadium on May 20 (Saturday). Chasing a target of 177 runs, the Knight Riders came ever so close to pulling off yet another memorable victory on the back of their finisher Rinku Singh's remarkable knock with the bat.
Needing 41 runs from the last two overs, Rinku exploded at Eden Gardens and fans were right behind him, urging the left-handed batter to pull off another incredible heist. Rinku whacked three consecutive fours in the first three balls of the 19th over and then smashed a 110-meter six on the fifth delivery. A total of 20 runs came off the penultimate over.
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With 20 runs needed off six balls, the explosive batter once again stared at a daunting task, which only got more challenging with 18 runs needed from the last three balls of the game. Rinky smoked the fourth ball a massive six over the cow corner fence and the tension in LSG camp was palpable. On the penultimate ball of the game, the KKR batter failed to get the elevation and settled for a four through extra cover. Rinku deposited the last delivery for another six but his effort went in vain as KKR fell short by one run.
"I was completely relaxed, and thought we would see whatever happens. Yes, the thoughts of hitting five sixes in a row (against Gujarat Titans) did come to my mind. I just missed one ball (to hit a six) and it turned out to be a four," said Rinku in the post-match media interaction after their one-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants here on Saturday.
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