IPL 2023, KKR vs LSG emotional rollercoaster: Superstar Rinku Singh falls short, Andre Russell misfires, Nicholas Pooran counter-attacks as LSG edge past KKR

Rinku, a bonafide star
It’s official now. Rinku Singh is not a one-match wonder and is here to stay. The jailbreak against Gujarat Titans so many weeks ago may be a one-in-a-blue-moon event, but in subsequent matches, the left-hander has proven to be the knight in shining armour for KKR, when those around him have flattered to deceive.
He is their chase-master, adapting his game to the demands of the situation. He narrowly came up short on Saturday, but did his burgeoning reputation no harm as KKR scored 39 of the 41 runs required in the final two overs, his bating partner Vaibhav Arora contributing just one of them. KKR may have been knocked out of the competition, but they will do well to build their squad for the next few editions around Rinku.
Expectations will be much higher from the boy from Aligarh from now on.

Rinku Singh reaches his FIFTY with a 110m MAXIMUM 🔥🔥
21 off 7 now required!#TATAIPL | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/9HbcmAFL85
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 20, 2023
Time to move on
When was the last time Andre Russell won KKR a game, especially with the bat? He has been a shadow of the beast he was in his pomp. Frequent injuries have restricted the number of overs he can bowl, and his batting is now largely restricted to hacks across the line, more in hope than conviction. He doesn’t seem to have much clue against leg-spinners, as Ravi Bishnoi proved with a googly that flattened the off-stump, and can be found lacking against high-quality pace as well. This season has shown that KKR persed with their erstwhile match-winner for at least a season too long. But they kept their faith in him for the entire season when even someone like David Wiese could have probably done a better job.

SIX & O.U.T! 🎯
Brave bowling from @bishnoi0056 who gets the dangerous Andre Russell!#TATAIPL | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/ZTsxse6UMs
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 20, 2023
Fighting fire with fire
What differentiates responsible from irresponsible batting when it comes to T20 batting? LSG had lost three wickets, including the crucial one of Stoinis, before Krunal Pandya and Quinton de Kock perished playing the slog-sweep to Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy respectively. Now with half their side gone, Lucknow were staring down the barrel in a match that could decide whether they progressed to the playoffs. Conventional and conservative wisdom would suggest that both batsmen were a bit reckless in their shot selection, or at least their execution. But incoming batsman Nicholas Pooran doesn’t seem to have a defensive bone in his body. His first three balls went for 4, 4 and 6 – the last one a one-handed straight hit off Chakravarthy. The West Indian followed it up with another maximum off the bowler’s next over. If any of those shots had gone awry, there would have been many raised eyebrows about the ‘needlessness’ of the shot. But it’s much easier to be wise after an event.

A breathtaking finish to a sensational encounter! 🔥@LucknowIPL clinch a victory just 1 run after Rinku Singh’s remarkable knock 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/7X1uv1mCyL #TATAIPL | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/umJAhcMzSQ
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 20, 2023
Pace works for KKR
The Kolkata Knight Riders team management has made no secret of the fact that they wanted a spin-friendly wicket at their home venue. But the curator didn’t play ball saying they were not obliged to cater to the franchise’s demands. Instead, it was the KKR pace bowlers Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana who got some pace and bounce from the Eden Gardens surface. The first three or four overs had the Lucknow Super Giants batsmen on a tight leash, before they broke free towards the end of the Powerplay. But Arora proved that there is more to the KKR bowling than just spin, when he scalped two in one over to dent the visitors – the dismissal of Aussie Marcus Stoinis, the hero of LSG’s last game, with a short ball at the throat the most satisfying one.