In a thrilling encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured their second consecutive win in the TATA IPL 2023 by beating Gujarat Titans by three wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This nail-biting match witnessed a breathtaking performance by Rinku Singh, who hit five sixes in a row in the final over, ensuring a remarkable victory for KKR.
Gujarat Titans, led by stand-in captain Rashid Khan, won the toss and elected to bat first. The openers, Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill, started cautiously, with Saha being more aggressive. Saha played two beautifully timed lofts for fours, one off Umesh Yadav and one off Lockie Ferguson. Gill, on the other hand, opened his boundary account with a four off Vaibhav Arora. Follow your favourite IPL team with attractive betting odds from NextBet.
Mohd. Shami, who was the pick of the Titans’ bowlers, struck early to get the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was caught at short fine leg by Yash Dayal. Suyash Sharma, who was promoted to bat at number three, was dismissed by Josh Little in the next over. However, Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer came out to bat and took the attack to the Titans’ bowlers. Iyer hit a six and a couple of fours in his innings of 83 off 40 balls.
Nitish Rana, the KKR captain, also played a vital role in the chase, scoring 45 runs off 29 balls. He hit two massive sixes off Alzarri Joseph and two fours off Rashid Khan. The duo put up a partnership of 100 runs off just 54 balls and kept the scoreboard ticking.
However, Joseph struck and got the crucial wicket of Rana, caught at mid-off. Iyer continued to dominate the Titans’ bowlers, hitting two fours and a six off Josh Little’s over. The equation came down to 56 runs off 30 balls, but Joseph had Iyer caught at long-on for 83 off 40 balls.
The Titans’ bowlers came back strongly, with Rashid Khan picking up a hat-trick in the 17th over. He dismissed Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur to leave KKR reeling at 176 for seven. However, Rinku Singh had other plans. With 29 runs needed off the last over, Singh smashed five sixes in a row off Yash Dayal to win the match for KKR.
This match was a roller-coaster ride, with both teams putting up an excellent fight. KKR’s Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana played brilliantly, but it was Rinku Singh’s heroics in the final over that stole the show. The Titans’ bowlers, especially Rashid Khan and Alzarri Joseph, made a remarkable comeback, but it was not enough to stop KKR from winning their second match in a row.
In conclusion, KKR’s thrilling win over Gujarat Titans was a perfect advertisement for T20 cricket. It had everything – big hits, wickets, drama, and a stunning finish. With such exciting matches, the TATA IPL 2023 promises to be an action-packed tournament. Follow NextBet Sports to get more updates from IPL 2023.
Brief Scores
GT 204/4 in 20 Overs (Shankar 63*, Sudharsan 53; Narine 3/33)
KKR 207/7 in 20 Overs (Iyer 83, Rinku 48*; Rashid 3/37)
KKR won by threw wickets
