Decoding Rinku Singh's stellar numbers in death overs (T20 cricket)
Rinku Singh has arrived in international cricket. The recently-concluded second T20I against Ireland saw the southpaw bat for the first time in Indian colors. He made the most of the opportunity and smoked a match-winning 21-ball 38. He hammered two boundaries and three maximums. Rinku received the Player-of-the-Match award for his breathtaking knock. Here we decode his numbers in death overs.
Rinku's blitzes in the final two overs
India lost momentum after they lost Ruturaj Gaikwad in the 16th over (129/4). However, Rinku and Shivam Dube then provided the much-needed impetus. The former slammed two sixes and a four in the 19th over as India garnered 42 runs in the final two overs. Rinku eventually fell prey to Mark Adair in the penultimate ball of the Indian innings.
300-plus runs in death overs in 2023
Rinku, who famously slammed five successive sixes in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Gujarat Titans, has been stellar in death overs this year. In overs between 16 and 20, the southpaw has smoked 308 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 190.12. He has smacked as many as 25 sixes in this phase in 2023. The tally includes 20 boundaries.
His overall numbers in slog overs
As far as his overall numbers in death overs (16-20) are concerned, Rinku has scored 473 runs in 22 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 188.44. The 25-year-old left-handed batter has hammered 34 sixes and 36 boundaries in these overs.
Rinku's exceptional numbers in IPL 2023
Rinku finished IPL 2023 as Kolkata Knight Riders's highest run-scorer, having hammered 474 runs from 14 matches at 59.25 (SR: 149.52). The southpaw became just the third player, batting at number five or lower, to score 400 runs in an IPL season with a 50-plus average and 140-plus strike rate. He joined dashers Andre Russell (2019) and David Miller (2022) in this elite list.
Most runs in death overs
In overs between 16 and 20 in IPL 2023, Rinku garnered 280 runs, striking at 186.67. He smoked 22 sixes in this phase. While no other batter scored 200-plus runs in this regard, Shimron Hetmyer trails Rinku with 193 runs. Against GT, he became the first batter to smoke five sixes in the final over of a run chase in T20 cricket.
A look at his overall T20 numbers
Overall in T20 cricket, Rinku, who represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, has garnered 1,806 runs in 91 games at an average and strike rate of 30.61 and 141.53, respectively. The tally includes 10 half-centuries with his highest score being 79. 725 of his T20 runs have come in 31 IPL matches at 36.25 (50s: 4). His strike rate in this regard reads 142.16.
