Rinku Singh of the Kolkata Knight Riders has endured a long and tough road to victory, but he never faltered or gave up. On Sunday, he performed the unthinkable, adding a beautiful chapter to the IPL saga. Even the best batters in the world would not have backed themselves to hit five consecutive sixes when their team needed 28 runs from the final five balls, but Rinku, a left-handed batsman for KKR, did just that, creating a fantastic knock that will be cherished and discussed for years. Six sixes and one four were part of Rinku’s 48 runs off of 21 balls, which helped KKR secure a 200-plus chase in the latter stages of the match. Against the raging Gujarat Titans, whose acting skipper Rashid Khan nearly clinched the deal with the first hat-trick of the year, it was arguably the most unexpected yet stunning victory in IPL history.
While Rinku’s rags to riches story will also be included because the cricketer now has a contract worth Rs 55 lakh with KKR, what happened on Sunday night was extraordinary because it was the result of all the 25-year-old’s hard work and the KKR team’s unwavering faith and support.
Rinku is from a lower-middle class family and is originally from Aligarh in the state of Uttar Pradesh. While Rinku was playing for the UP under-19 team, his father delivered LPG cylinders, and in the 2015–16 season, when they had a debt of Rs. 5 lakh, he started saving from his daily stipend and even took a job as a domestic worker where he would have had to clean and mop.
“I come from a family of farmers, and my father battled greatly. After his match-winning knock, Rinku remarked, “Every ball that I smashed off of the ground was dedicated to the individuals who sacrificed so much for me.
One of the KKR academy’s first graduates, Rinku has worked closely with Abhishek Nayar, the team’s assistant coach, and the effects were evident in the Ranji Trophy as well.
If there was disappointment at the conclusion of their tense chase against the Lucknow Super Giants last year when he smashed a 15-ball 40 with KKR needing 21 from the final over, there was hope for Rinku who did even better on Sunday, earning acclaim from all quarters.
As Rinku recalled it on Sunday, being unable to take his side across the line undoubtedly made a lasting effect.
“I genuinely thought I could pull it off. I experienced a similar circumstance in Lucknow last year. had the same belief at the time. I didn’t give it much thought. One after the other, those rounds were fired. I struck the last one off my back foot and it was with the back of the hand,” he said.
Nitish Rana, the captain of KKR this season, remarked, “Rinku did something similar last year, even though we lost that game. We began to have more faith after the second six because Yash Dayal wasn’t playing particularly well. Rinku Singh is to be commended.
“He is to blame for the two points we earned in this game. People have questioned me about Rinku Singh’s modest roles and why she never gets a bigger one. To those reporters, I want to say, “If this is the second role, just think of what he can do with the first role.” at the previous game, he took on a different position and excelled at it. I’m speechless in response to him. According to Venkatesh Iyer, who led the chase with an incredible 83 off just 40 balls, “This match will be remembered for the Lord Rinku spectacle. For the final two overs, everyone (would have) written us off, but to recover and triumph is something that I am aware does not occur frequently. This game will be cherished for a very long time.
