Rinku Singh ended the long wait. (Photo- PTI)
Rinku Singh vs LSG: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally registered their first win in IPL 2026. After waiting for victory in six consecutive matches, it opened its account by defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 4 wickets in the 28th match. The match was played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata and KKR achieved the target of 156 runs with 2 balls remaining. The hero of KKR’s victory in this match was Rinku Singh, whose performance was constantly being questioned. But in this match he played an amazing innings and returned to the pavilion only after making the team win.
Rinku Singh ended his long wait
In this match, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and decided to bat first and scored 155 runs in 20 overs. But while chasing the target of 156 runs, KKR had a very bad start. Tim Seifert was out on the very first ball and soon Ajinkya Rahane also returned to the pavilion on a duck. The team looked to be in trouble after the fourth wicket fell at 52 runs. At this time Rinku Singh came to the crease. Rinku Singh played a brilliant innings under pressure.
Rinku Singh scored unbeaten 53 runs on 34 balls, which included 5 fours and 2 sixes. During this innings, Rinku not only completed her half-century by hitting a six in the over but also won the match. With this he ended a long wait. Rinku scored a half-century in IPL after 3 years. Before this, he had scored his last half-century in the year 2024. During this period, he played 27 innings in IPL without scoring a fifty, but this time he managed to end the drought of 3 years.
Anukul Roy supported Rinku
Along with Rinku, Anukul Roy also played a useful innings and scored unbeaten 29 runs on 16 balls. A quick partnership of 50 runs between the two for the seventh wicket proved to be a match-changer. Earlier, Cameron Green had scored 27 runs and Rovman Powell had scored 23 runs. This victory was a relief for KKR, because the pressure on the team had increased after consecutive defeats. Rinku Singh’s return to form is the biggest good news for the team. Now it remains to be seen how KKR takes the momentum of this victory forward.
