It was one more last-ball thriller on the IPL 2023 on Monday. Rinku Singh added one other vivid chapter to his legend as a “finisher” with a last-ball boundary as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Punjab Kings by 5 wickets on Monday to maintain their IPL play-off hopes alive. It was a whole ‘RRR’ present by KKR as skipper Nitish Rana‘s half-century and Andre Russell including muscle to the chase of 180 enabled Rinku to complete off the sport with a 10-ball-21 not out. KKR have now climbed to the fifth spot whereas PBKS are on the seventh spot.

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RCB captain Faf du Plessis leads the very best run-getter’ tally with 511 runs in 10 video games. In the very best wicket-taker’s checklist three bowlers are tied on 19 wickets every – GT duo Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan together with CSK’s Tushar Deshpande.

Earlier, Varun Chakravarthy as soon as once more brilliantly spearheaded their bowling division to seize 3/26 as KKR put up a tidy bowling present to limit PBKS to a below-par 179 for seven after the guests opted to bat on a sluggish wicket.

In reply, KKR present batting present was led by Rana’s stellar effort when he promoted himself to No 3 and laid the inspiration with a 38-ball 51 (6×4, 1×6).

On a wicket the place the odd ball was gripping and batters struggled to search out their timings, Rana stiched a vital fifty-plus stand with Venkatesh Iyer (11) earlier than Andre Russell and Rinku Singh sealed the difficulty.

Needing 56 off 28 balls after Rana turned Rahul Chahar‘s second sufferer, Russell went ballistic towards Sam Curran smoking him for 3 sixes in 4 balls in a 20-run over to vary the equation in favour of KKR who wanted six off the final over.

But demise over specialist Arshdeep Singh who had six to defend took it down the wire with 4 off first 4 balls. Arshedeep has typically floundered of late failing to nail his yorkers.

There was extra drama when Russell was ran out within the penultimate ball as a calm-headed Rinku Singh (21 not out; 10b) as soon as once more got here to KKR’s rescue sealing the win with a boundary off the final ball.

The duo off Russell and Rinku put collectively a matchwinning 54 runs partnership from 26 balls.

Their second win in a row pushed KKR (-0.079) previous Royal Challengers Bangalore (-0.209) to top-five on internet run-rate as 5 groups are locked a mid desk rush for playoff with 10 factors.

Chahar bowled an excellent tenth over conceding simply three runs to have them 76/2 on the half-way stage as the house facet nonetheless had a variety of work to do with 104 wanted from the back-10.

But Rana turned it round, taking cost on Livingstone when he hit the PBKS part-time spinner for 2 fours and a six in a row in a 16-run over.

It was nonetheless not a cakewalk with legspinner Rahul Chahar quietly doing his function in his tidy 4-0-23-2.

He not solely broke the fifty-plus stand between Rana and Venkatesh Iyer but in addition dismissed the duo in house of 9 runs to maintain PBKS hopes alive.

Earlier, KKR Impact Player Jason Roy (38; 24b) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (15; 12b) gave them a flying begin after they cruised to 36 for no loss in 4 overs after they took Arshdeep Singh to cleaners in a 16-run over.

But the opening duo did not convert their begins and acquired out in house of 16 deliveries when the match was evenly poised.

Nathan Ellis gave the breakthrough trapping Gurbaz LBW with a slower one, earlier than Roy turned the sufferer of Brar after he did not clear deep midwicket.

On a day Sunil Narine (4-0-29-0) was first rate however went wicketless but once more, Chakravarthy relished the sluggish nature of the observe the place the odd ball was gripping to return with wonderful figures of 4-0-26-3 after PBKS opted to bat.

It would have been worse for PBKS however the duo of Shahrukh Khan (21 not out; 8b) and Harpreet Brar (17 not out; 9b) brilliantly stepped it up within the final two overs that yielded 36 runs in a 40-run unbroken stand that got here off simply 16 balls.

Fresh from his final over heroics when he defended 9 runs towards Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chakravarthy eliminated the Punjab’s in-form duo of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma that appeared to have broke their again within the center overs.

Livingstone was taking a look at his harmful greatest, smashing Andre Russell for 3 fours within the fifth over.

Looking harmful in his nine-ball 15, Livingstone was squared up by an ideal quick leg-break from Chakravarthy to be trapped plumb on his back-foot.

With Harshit Rana (3-0-33-2) grabbing two contained in the powerplay, KKR had an ideal begin lowering PBKS to 58/3.

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan (57; 47b) anchored the present in a Virat Kohli-like innings the opposite day towards Delhi Capitals however the lefthander might by no means take off and was dismissed by KKR skipper Nitish Rana.

Dhawan put collectively 53 runs partnership with Jitesh Sharma (21).

Rana neatly bowled Chakravarthy as soon as contained in the powerplay after which within the eighth, thirteenth and seventeenth over as he completed his quota, cleansing up Rishi Dhawan with a incorrect one.

Rishi (19; 11b) had his intention clear smashing Chakravarthy for a six within the first ball, however the KKR spinner had the final chortle.

On an Eden wicket that regarded on the drier facet from the skin, seamer Rana gave KKR an ideal begin, placing twice in two overs after Prabhsimran teed off in type with three boundaries off Arora within the first over.

Gurbaz took Prabhsimran’s catch on second try and in his subsequent over Rana had comeback man Bhanuka Rajapaksa for a three-ball duck.

Things nevertheless nonetheless tilted in favour of PBKS as in-form Liam Livingstone counter-attacked Andre Russell with three back-to-back fours in a 19-run over.

PBKS regarded heading in the right direction with 51/2 after 5 overs, when Chakravarthy trapped Livingstone plumb on his back-foot in a vital turnaround for KKR