"He’s going to get his paycheque a little higher"- Chris Gayle on Rinku Singh's incredible knock vs LSG in IPL 2023

Former West Indies batter Chris Gayle heaped praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Rinku Singh for playing a valiant knock of 67* against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Kolkata on Saturday, May 11.

Although KKR lost the game by one run, Rinku played another blinder and gave hope to his team when all seemed lost. He has had an incredible season, with 474 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of almost 150 and an average of more than 59.

Speaking to Jio Cinema after the game, here's what Chris Gayle had to say about Rinku Singh's fighting knock:

"Rinku Singh has done this in a few occasions for KKR before. I am sure next year, he’s going to get his paycheque a little higher because he’s been the best performer with the bat for KKR."

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Zaheer Khan on Rinku Singh overshadowing Andre Russell in IPL 2023

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan also lauded Rinku for his fantastic effort and believes he was the only one that could have stopped Lucknow from winning the game. He also shed light on how Rinku's rise in form helped KKR cope with Andre Russell's struggles with the bat.

On this, Zaheer stated:

"He was standing between LSG and the playoffs and played with a lot of confidence. He’s carried himself and the team like that all season long. When you have an accomplished finisher like Russell, and yet he is not being discussed during this season when you speak of KKR. If Rinku has been able to move a name like that to the back, just goes to show how good his season has been for him."

Rinku's incredible IPL 2023 season has made many fans believe that he is not far away from getting his maiden India call-up, possibly against the West Indies.