In a crucial match to stay alive in the race for the playoffs in IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a stunning performance with captain Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh leading the charge to secure a commanding six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Chennai had the opportunity to seal their place in the playoffs at home, but Rana and Rinku had different plans as they formed a magnificent 99-run partnership off just 76 balls for the fourth wicket. Their incredible display of batting prowess enabled Kolkata to chase down the target of 145 with nine balls to spare.
Rana remained unbeaten on 57 runs off 44 balls, while Rinku impressed with his innings of 54 runs off 43 balls. Their partnership also etched their names in history, as it became the highest-ever fourth-wicket partnership against Chennai at the Chepauk stadium.
Chennai made an early breakthrough when Deepak Chahar had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught at deep backward point in the opening over. Chahar struck again in the third over when Venkatesh Iyer nicked the ball straight to short third man after hitting two fours.
However, Rana displayed his skills by hitting Chahar for a six in the same over. Chahar bounced back, though, as Jason Roy edged an attempted drive to short third man.
Rinku made an impact by driving Chahar through extra cover for four and ended the powerplay by hitting Tushar Deshpande for a six over long-off. He continued his impressive strokeplay by driving Moeen Ali through extra cover and getting consecutive fours in the ninth over.
Rana relieved the pressure on Kolkata by reverse-sweeping Moeen for four at the start of the 11th over. He received a lifeline on 18 when Matheesha Pathirana dropped a tough chance after sprinting in from deep backward square leg.
When Ravindra Jadeja came into the attack in the 12th over, Rinku wasted no time in smashing a six over the bowler's head. Rana kept the momentum going by executing two exquisite inside-out shots over extra cover for fours off Moeen.
Rinku displayed his power-hitting abilities once again when he slog-swept Jadeja for six in the 14th over. Rana contributed with consecutive boundaries, cutting and driving Theekshana down the ground.
Rinku achieved a sublime half-century in just 39 balls by clipping Pathirana along the ground on the last ball of the 16th over, while Rana reached his fifty in the following over in 38 balls. Although Rinku was run-out by a direct hit from Moeen in the 18th over, Rana sealed the victory in style with a four driven through third man off Deshpande, keeping Kolkata's hopes of reaching the playoffs alive.
The victory showcased KKR's resilience and determination, setting up an exciting finish to the IPL 2023 season as teams battle for a spot in the playoffs.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 144/6 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 48 not out, Devon Conway 30; Sunil Narine 2-15, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-36) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 147/4 in 18.3 overs (Nitish Rana 57 not out; Rinku Singh 54; Deepak Chahar 3-27) by six wickets