Gujarat Titans stand-in captain Rashid Khan turned his team's IPL 2023 game against Kolkata Knight Riders on its head at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The Afghan leg-spinner left the Knight Riders on the brink of another loss with a first hat-trick of the season.
Rashid, who brought himself to bowl the decisive 17th over of the innings, started with dismissing Andre Russell. Russell, batting on a single, tried to smash a back-of-a-length delivery but only managed an inside edge that ballooned to KS Bharat behind the stumps.
The GT captain took a review, and the umpire had to reverse the decision. Sunil Narine followed next and failed to clear the deep mid-wicket boundary, while Shardul Thakur could not pick the googly as the ball hit the back leg.
Here's the video of Rashid Khan's hat-trick:
The Titans got their first opening when Alzarri Joseph dismissed the dangerous Venkatesh Iyer for a 39-ball 83 in his final over to finish with figures of 4-0-27-2.
Iyer had built a 100-run stand with Nitish Rana, who also fell to Joseph. While Rashid conceded 35 runs in his first three wicketless overs, he returned to pick up three wickets and become only the third IPL captain to snare a hat-trick.
Rinku Singh wins it for KKR despite Rashid Khan's heroics
Despite Rashid Khan's heroics with the ball, middle order batter Rinku Singh came out on top as KKR snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Needing 29 to win off the final over, the left-handed batter smashed five consecutive sixes to send KKR fans into delirium, staying unbeaten on 48 off 21.
Yash Dayal, the left-arm pacer sent down two full tosses, and Singh did not miss out on the same.
Earlier, the Titans' total of 207 had come on the back of Vijay Shankar's 24-ball 64 as he hammered five sixes, including three consecutive in the final over off Shardul Thakur. B Sai Sudharsan scored a 38-ball 53 and added 67 with Shubman Gill.
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