In a spectacular display of nerves of steel and an ice-cold temperament, Rinku Singh, the 25-year-old cricketer from Aligarh, proved that a star is born.
Rinku Singh, amassed 6 sixes and 1 four in his last seven balls to score 40 runs and take his team KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) a famous win.
This win will be talked about for ages and will go down as one of the most memorable wins in the history of IPL.
Rinku’s IPL journey has not been an eventful one, his family couldn’t make ends meet with his father delivering LPG cylinders and his brother driving an auto rickshaw, he himself was at the brink of joining as a sweeper wiping floors.
IPL journey was not easy for Rinku Singh
After making his debut in the IPL in 2018 he didn’t get a game for KXIP in the 2017 season, however, KKR saw an opportunity in him as a finisher and since then he has been an integral part of the KKR lineup. Last year, in 2022 he took KKR home in one such instance, while failing in another chance by a meagre margin against Lucknow, but yesterday he went past that and delivered a thumping win and the diminutive southpaw carved his place in the IPL folklore with five consecutive sixes in the last over of the IPL 2023 contest against Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
Before his heroics in the last over, the social media was divided about Rinku coming ahead of Andre Russell and even Sunil Narine in the mammoth chase that was derailed by Rashid Khan’s hat-trick over.
The chatter grew louder after Rinku’s slow start of 14-ball 8, but the left-hander silenced everyone with his spectacular hitting.
After hitting the winning runs, Rinku made a loud cheer and thumped his chest, these were winning grunts and aggression, but all you could do was smile and applaud the moment. He hugged his skipper and long-time friend (Nitish Rana) and soaked in the moment as teammates jumped in and celebrated a special knock. Even KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit couldn’t hide his emotions and was pumped up when he hugged the left-hander after the win. There was a video call with regular skipper Shreyas Iyer next where the Iyer could be seen rejoicing the moments and praising Rinku.
Overall, Rinku’s story is an inspiring one, littered with hardships and obstacles that he has fought through with a smile on his lips. And, as he continues to make an impact in the cricketing world, there’s no telling what the future holds for this talented and determined young cricketer.
“My father struggled a lot, I come from a farmer’s family. Every ball that I hit out of the ground was dedicated to the people who sacrificed so much for me,” Rinku said after his match-winning knock.
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