IPL 2023, KKR vs GT | Twitter reacts as Rashid Khan hattrick not enough to deny KKR three-wicket win

Rashid Khan won the toss at the Narendra Modi stadium and chose to bat first, a decision that proved dividends in the first innings as his side piled on a mammoth total of 204/4. Shubman Gill set the foundation early with a steady 31-ball 39 before Sai Sudharsan ruled the middle overs with a flamboyant 53 off 38 deliveries. However, KKR talisman Sunil Narine soon shut down shop by dismissing both, thus securing the scalps of all three top-order batsmen. Just when the visitors seemed to have things in control, Vijay Shankar delivered a heroic unbeaten knock of 63 involving some audacious stroke-making, tallying four boundaries and five maximums in the 24-ball affair.

In response, the Titans' new-ball pacers Josh Little and Mohammed Shami had the Knight Riders in trouble early by dismissing openers Narayan Jagadeesan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz respectively within the first four overs. However, the visitors fought back with a 100-run third-wicket partnership as the skipper provided the impetus with 45 off 29 deliveries while Venkatesh Iyer took the charge of the opposition. KKR struggled to keep up with the scoring rate and when Iyer got out for a redeeming 84 off just 40 deliveries, the side still required 51 runs in the last four overs.

Nevertheless, the momentum seemed to be in their favour given Andre Russell had walked onto the crease, only for the Caribbean dynamo to return back to the pavilion on the second ball courtesy of Rashid Khan's brilliance. The Afghan then astounded everyone with scalps of Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur in successive deliveries, outdoing the latter with a sensational googly, to earn his first-ever IPL hat-trick.

All hope seemed lost when 29 was required off the last over but Rinku Singh turned the game on its head with five sixes off the final five deliveries to secure an unprecedented win, thereby scoring 40 runs off his last seven deliveries in a run chase for the ages.

Pain in the walk!

KKR won it with a warrior in the end!

Hahaha! He gonna delete it now!

Yeah! Fact but this was different.

He did it alone!

Rinku bhai!

Rinku Singh made it look like EA cricket!

Unbelievable!

Yes!

That is un real!