IPL 2023: Rinku Singh's blitzkrieg breaks several final-over records

Rinku Singh did the unthinkable as he hammered five sixes off five consecutive deliveries in the final over of the match to clinch an absolute thriller for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match no. 13 of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Chasing a target of 205, KKR needed 29 off the last over and Rinku tonked Yash Dayal for five maximums to seal an epic and memorable victory for his side. 

With this, KKR registered the highest target (29) achieved in the final over of an IPL innings. Yash registered an unwanted record of leaking the second-most runs (69) in an innings after Basil Thampi, who had conceded 0/70 (4) for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2018 edition. Rinku also recorded the most runs (30) scored by a player in the last over as he surpassed MS Dhoni, who slammed 24 against RCB in Bangalore in 2019.

Speaking in detail about the match, stand-in skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and GT opted to bat first. Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar racked up 53 and 63 runs respectively as the Titans reached a huge total of 204/4 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Venkatesh Iyer played a solid knock of 83 off 40 with eight fours and five maximums while skipper Nitish Rana amassed 45.

Coming in to bat at number five, Rinku remained unbeaten on 48*(21) which included one four and six maximums at a strike rate of 228.57 as he clinched a second victory for his side in this campaign. The left-handed batter also grabbed the Player of the Match award for his heroics as he pulled off a heist. Notably, Rinku also joined Chris Gayle, Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul Tewatia for most sixes hit by a single player in an over of an IPL innings.

 Highest target achieved in the last over of an IPL innings:

Most runs conceded in an IPL innings:

 Player hitting five sixes in an over in an IPL innings: