Kolkata/IBNS: Indias new T20 batting sensation Rinku Singhs relentless fight was not enough to offer Kolkata Knight Riders finish in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on a happy note as they were defeated by Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.
Rinku, who pulled off miraculous victories for Kolkata this year with his bat, fought till the end but Lucknow managed to win the match by one run to qualify for the playoffs.
Chasing 177, Kolkatas yet another new opening pair- Jason Roy (45 off 28 balls) and Venktatesh Iyer (24 off 15 balls)- were on the way to make the most of the powerplay overs until the latter was dismissed by K Gowtham in 5.5 overs.
After Iyer departed, turning points came to Lucknow who picked wickets at regular intervals pushing the hosts to a spot of bother.
With all recognised batters being sent to the dugout, all Kolkata needed was a repeat of many heroic finishes by Rinku, who caught the limelight with five match-winning sixes in the last over against defending champions Gujarat Titans in this tournament.
Rinku, who slammed Naveen-ul-Haq for 20 runs in the 19th over, remained unbeaten at 67 off 33 balls (6 fours and 4 sixes) when Kolkata stopped at 175/7 in 20 overs.
Earlier, Lucknow, who donned a new jersey having colours of football club Mohun Bagan, got a poor start to get reduced to 73/5 at one stage.
When the visitors were on the brink of losing their plot, Nicholas Pooran slammed 58 off 30 balls (4 fours and 5 sixes) which turned out to be the match winning moment apart from his teammate Ravi Bishnoi 2/23 in four overs with the ball.
