Rinku Singh hammers five successive sixes as KKR stun GT
Kolkata Knight Riders stunned Gujarat Titans in match number 13 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season on Sunday in Ahmedabad. Batting first, Gujarat powered their way to 204/4 in 20 overs. Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar dazzled with classy fifties. For KKR, Sunil Narine claimed three scalps. In response, KKR saw Rinku Singh slam five successive sixes to complete the chase.
KKR floor Gujarat as Rinku goes berserk
Gujarat were off and running before Narine dismissed Wriddhiman Saha. Shubman Gill and Sudharsan added 67 runs. Sudharsan was dismissed in the 18th over and KKR were in control. However, Shankar's heroics saw Gujarat score 51 runs off the last 15 balls. KKR stayed in touch with the asking rate before Rashid Khan claimed a hat-trick. Rinku then did the unimaginable against Yash Dayal.
2,000 IPL runs for Shubman Gill
Gill ended up scoring a 30-ball 39. His knock was laced with five fours. Gill touched the 2,000-run mark in his 77th match. He became the 48th batter to get the milestone. The right-handed batter has now raced to 2,016 runs at 32.51. The tally includes 15 fifties (HS: 96). Gill has slammed over 400 runs in the last three IPL seasons.
Sai Sudharsan records his second successive fifty
Sudharsan brought up his second successive fifty in IPL 2023. The southpaw paced his knock to perfection as he ended up scoring 53 off 37 deliveries. His knock was laced with three boundaries and two maximums. This was Sudharsan's third IPL fifty. The southpaw has now smothered 282 runs in eight IPL games at a brilliant average of 130.55. His strike rate reads 130.55.
Shankar slams 24-ball 63* versus KKR
Shankar scored an unbeaten 63 off 24 balls, a knock laced with four boundaries and five maximums. Notably, he became GT's sixth half-centurion in IPL. He took Lockie Ferguson to the cleaners in the 19th over. Notably, he reached his fifty off just 21 balls. His blitz saw Gujarat hammer 51 runs off the final 15 balls.
Shankar strikes at 262.50 versus KKR
Shankar's strike rate of 262.50 is the second-highest for a GT batter who has faced at least 10 deliveries in an innings. Only Rashid Khan (281.81) is above him. Meanwhile, this was Shankar's fourth fifty and a maiden one of the season. He has now raced to 850 runs in 54 IPL matches at 25.76. His overall strike rate in the competition reads 127.44.
Maiden 200-plus IPL score Gujarat
Gujarat scored their maiden score of 200-plus in the IPL since joining the league last year. Before this tally, Gujarat's previous best score in the IPL was 199/5 versus Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede in Mumbai (IPL 2022).
Venkatesh and Rana do well
Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana added 100 runs for the third wicket, keeping KKR afloat. This is now the fifth-highest third-wicket partnership for KKR in the IPL. Venkatesh slammed his 6th IPL fifty, smashing his highest individual score as well (83). He now has 672 IPL runs. Meanwhile, Rana hit 45 from 29 balls. He has raced to 2,251 runs at 28.53.
Rashid claims a hat-trick versus KKR
Rashid was costly in his first three overs before coming back and claiming a hat-trick in the 17th over. He dismissed Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur to see KKR slump to 155/7. Rashid is the fourth bowler to claim a hat-trick versus KKR after Makhaya Ntini (CSK), Kolkata, 2008; Pravin Tambe (RR), Ahmedabad, 2014; and Yuzvendra Chahal (RR), Mumbai (Brabourne), 2022.
120 wickets in the IPL and 536 overall in T20s
Playing his 95th match in the IPL, Rashid has raced to 120 wickets at an average of 20.22. In IPL 2023, Rashid has managed to claim eight wickets at 11.75. He is the joint-highest wicket-taker at the moment. In 14 games versus KKR, Rashid has 17 scalps under his belt. Overall in the 20-over format, Rashid has raced to 536 career scalps at 18.05.
Other massive records smashed in the match
KKR have sealed the highest target in the last over in IPL: 29 runs - KKR vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2023. KKR surpassed the previous record of 23 runs - RPS vs PBKS, Vizag, 2016. Yash Dayal conceded 69 runs versus KKR, which is now the second-costliest spell in the tournament's history. Basil Thampi (SRH) vs RCB gave away 70 runs in Bengaluru, 2018.
