"What a season for Rinku, only good thing about KKR" - Fans erupt as LSG beat KKR by one run in last-over thriller

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by one run in a last-over thriller at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, May 20. This came after the hosts fell short by the narrowest margin while chasing 177.

Defending 176, Ravi Bishnoi and Yash Thakur starred with the ball for LSG, returning with two wickets each. Skipper Krunal Pandya and Krishnappa Gowtham bagged one wicket apiece.

For the Knight Riders, Rinku Singh top-scored with unbeaten 67 runs off 33 balls at a strike rate of 203.03, including four sixes and six boundaries. The left-handed batter almost put Kolkata home with his power-packed knock.

Earlier, Nicholas Pooran’s half-century and 20s from Prerak Mankad, Ayush Badoni, and Quinton de Kock helped LSG post 176/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

For Kolkata, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, and Vaibhav Arora bagged two wickets apiece, while Harshit Rana and Varun Chakarvarthy settled for one apiece.

Fans on Twitter hailed Rinku Singh for being the lone warrior for KKR with the bat. One user tweeted:

"What a season for Rinku. Only good thing about KKR."

Here are some of the other Twitter reactions:

For the uninitiated, Rinku Singh scored 305 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 174.28, including four half-centuries while chasing in IPL 2023. He finished the season with 464 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 147.30.

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“You need to do well in all three departments” – Nitish Rana as KKR misses out on IPL 2023 playoffs

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana felt his team didn’t live up to the expectations in all three departments after the loss against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday. He, however, credited Rinku Singh for his stellar performance with the bat.

Speaking on the post-match show, Rinku Singh said:

“You need to do well in all three departments to compete and finish in the top 4 in the world's best league. I feel bad because we had the ability to qualify in the top four.”

He continued:

“Feels like all 14 matches, I've spoken about Rinku. I am personally very happy for him (Rinku), and I don't really have words to describe him because the entire world has seen what he can do on a cricket field.”

LSG, meanwhile, booked their place in the IPL 2023 playoffs. They are placed third in the points table.

Click here to check out the KKR vs LSG full scorecard.