Rinku Singh played a crucial role by scoring an unbeaten 53 runs to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to their first victory of the IPL season, defeating Rajasthan Royals by four wickets in a closely contested match. Rajasthan managed to post a total of 155-9, with their batting struggling as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi top-scored with 46 runs at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
Despite a shaky start for Kolkata, with the team at 5-2 and later 85-6, Rinku Singh, the left-handed batsman, guided them to victory with two balls to spare. Rinku’s innings included five fours and two sixes in a 34-ball knock. He partnered with Anukul Roy, who contributed 29 runs, in an unbeaten 76-run partnership to secure the win for Kolkata.
Anukul Roy played a steady innings, hitting a crucial six off Jofra Archer in the 19th over when Kolkata needed nine runs from the final six balls. Rinku Singh, who was given a lifeline when dropped on eight by Nandre Burger, showcased his skills by hitting two fours and a winning six to bring up his fifty and seal the victory for Kolkata.
Rajasthan’s bowling saw early success with England’s Jofra Archer dismissing Tim Seifert for a duck on the first ball, and South Africa’s Nandre Burger sending skipper Ajinkya Rahane back for nought. Despite a promising start from Cameron Green, who scored 27 off 13 balls, he was stumped off Ravi Bishnoi’s delivery.
Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets for Rajasthan, but Rinku Singh capitalized on his earlier reprieve to guide Kolkata to victory. Earlier in the match, Rajasthan’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on a solid 81-run partnership, with spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s impressive bowling figures of 3-14 triggering a collapse in Rajasthan’s batting lineup.
Fast bowler Kartik Tyagi took three crucial wickets for Rajasthan, while Sunil Narine claimed 2-26 to contribute to Kolkata’s successful chase.
