IPL 2023: Rinku Singh has made people fall in love with him, he is going to become household name – Brett Lee

Chasing, the KKR captain too top scored for his team as Nitish Rana hit 51 runs off just 38 deliveries (6×4, 1×6). Rana got out in the 16th over but the KKR finishers Andre Russell and Rinku Singh made them win the thriller that stretched to the last ball.

This win helps Kolkata rise to 5th on the table, proving they’re still in the fight for a playoff berth while Punjab falls to 7th place with the same win-loss record but a worse run rate.

Former Australia speedster Brett Lee has praised Rinku for smashing a last-ball boundary to complete another thrilling win for the two-time champions. Lee has predicted that the Aligarh-born cricketer would be a household name in Indian cricket as he made fans fall in love with him.

“He’s given them every reason to fall in love with Rinku Singh. He’s a match-winner, he’s an entertainer, he goes out there and he wins. It’s exciting to see a young player coming through doing that.

“He’s going to become a household name and is playing some decent cricket,” JioCinema TATA IPL expert Brett Lee said, forecasting a bright future for Rinku.

Further, Parthiv Patel also hailed Rinku’s mindset for his match-winning 21 not out runs off 10 balls. He rated the last-ball boundary off Arshdeep Singh bigger than his five back-to-back sixes on the last five balls of the 20th over from Yash Dayal to fire KKR to 3-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 9.

“He has a massive responsibility. Performing under pressure is very important. As a player, it shows the way you think and what your mindset is. We’ve seen the skill Rinku Singh has when he hit those five sixes in an over but today, it was more challenging.

“He saw Andre Russell take a run on the bye because he would’ve thought to keep a player like Russell on the strike. The way Rinku Singh took the game to the last ball despite Arshdeep (Singh) bowling well.

“The way Rinku Singh is batting and finishing games is a massive talking point. He was not out today as well and him winning them the game is a massive plus point for any player,” JioCinema TATA IPL expert Parthiv Patel said.

Grounds look small when Russell on song: Swann

Andre Russell had an impactful 42-run performance in the latter half of the game, hitting three sixes in four balls against Sam Curran in the 19th over of the match. He was awarded the Player of the Match for his efforts.

Russell’s massive scoring outburst led to JioCinema TATA IPL expert Graeme Swann complimenting his efforts on the night, “It’s the start of his innings, he always comes out with pressure on him.”

“He’s going to get a short delivery and he doesn’t like short balls early on. If he gets in and gets past the first three balls, he’s normally alright. When he gets going, that ground is simply too small for him and we saw that tonight.”

(With inputs from press release)