The neck-to-neck clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) may have not ended well for the former, but Rashid Khan had a brilliant final spell with a hat-trick, the first in IPL 2023.
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Before the hat-trick, Khan conceded 35 runs in three overs without any wickets. But when he came to bowl his last in the 17th over, when the KKR were at 155 for four, he struck thrice in the first three balls, sending Andre Russell (1), Sunil Narine (0), and Shardul Thakur (0) back to the pavilion.
This was the fourth hat-trick for Khan, making him the bowler with the most number of hat-tricks in T20 cricket.
The impressive performance, however, couldn’t seal the day for Khan’s team, who while batting first had put on a very good total of 204.
KKR’s chase was held together by Venkatesh Iyer’s 83 of 40 balls, and Nitish Rana’s 45 off 29 balls. But the GT didn’t let it be a cakewalk for KKR in the nail-biting contest that went to the very last ball.
The KKR, seven down in the last over, required a seemingly impossible 29 runs. But Rinku Singh, who got on the crease after a single by Umesh Yadav on the last over the first ball, played a blaster of five sixes in five balls to pull off the tough ask.
Rinku Singh (48 not out in 21 balls) grabbed the ‘player of the match’ award for his stormy knock that stole the game from GT’s clutches.
Read | Twitterati in awe after KKR’s Rinku Singh pulls off miracle
Both the sides will again on 29 April for their second encounter of the season before the play offs.
This was the first loss this season for GT, the defending champions. They will face Punjab Kings for their next match on 13 April.
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