Kolkata Knight Riders registered a comprehensive win against Rajasthan Royals on Monday evening to end their five-match losing streak. With that win, the previous season's runner-up has kept their chances for the playoffs alive and needs to win all the remaining games in the group stage. Rinku Singh starred for Kolkata as he played a match-winning knock of 42 runs in just 23 balls with six fours and one six in front of the quality bowling lineup of Rajasthan Royals.
Singh also picked two crucial catches in the first innings and showed his brilliance in the fielding by saving a few boundaries for his side. The KKR batter was rewarded with the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance and was lauded by everyone for grabbing the opportunity with both hands. Interestingly, Singh had this belief that he would do something instrumental for his side even before that match and wrote '50' on his hand, indicating that he would hit a half-century.
In a video posted by the Kolkata franchise, Singh was seen sharing the same with Nitish Rana, who also played valuable innings during the run chase. In the video, Rinku told Rana that he knew he would perform well, and that's why he wrote 50 on his hand.
Although Singh could not hit a half-century, his valuable 42 in just 23 balls was as important as any half-century. The 24-year-old batter also informed that he always wanted to grab the opportunity with both hands and had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Rinku Singh has been one of those unfortunate players who got less opportunity to showcase his skills, despite performing well in the domestic circuit while playing for Uttar Pradesh.
He has been in IPL dug-outs for a long time now, having made his debut way back in 2018. His game against Rajasthan Royals was only his 13th IPL game. However, he has already scored 100 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of close to 150 proving his mettle. With such a match-winning knock, Rinku Singh will be hoping to have his name in the squad regularly and do something magical for his side, which is standing on the verge of elimination.
