WATCH: Rinku Singh smashes five consecutive sixes as KKR beats GT in dramatic last-over finish in IPL 2023

With Kolkata Knight Riders needing 29 runs to win off the last over, Rinku Singh smashed five consecutive sixes to take his team to a three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans on Sunday.

Rinku Singh of Kolkata Knight Riders in action. | Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS FOR IPL

Rinku Singh of Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off one of the greatest run-chases ever when he smashed five consecutive sixes off the last five ball of the innings to take his team to a three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans on Sunday.

With Kolkata needing 29 runs to win off the last over, Umesh Yadav took a single off the first ball off Yash Dayal. Rinku slashed at a full-toss outside off-stump to send the ball sailing over the long-off boundary. The next delivery was another full-toss, a lower one on leg-stump and the left-hander flicked it over behind deep square-leg.

An under-fire Dayal was clearly feeling the pressure now as he darted in another full-toss outside off and Rinku once again cleared the long-off fence to make it three maximums in a row. Dayal adjusted his length but, after being guilty of bowling full-tosses in the previous deliveries, now pitched it too short. Rinku pounced on a loose one outside off-stump and launched it over long-on.

𝓡𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓾 𝓢𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓱. 𝓝𝓪𝓪𝓶 𝔂𝓪𝓪𝓭 𝓻𝓪𝓴𝓱𝓷𝓪.#GTvKKRpic.twitter.com/bDjkSNna16

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) April 9, 2023

The equation came down to four runs needed off the last ball. Dayal pitched it short again and Rinku pumped it down the ground for a fifth consecutive six as a stunned Gujarat Titans was handed its first defeat of IPL 2023.

Rinku was unbeaten on 48 off 21 balls and the last seven balls that he faced were boundaries. Before his five consecutive sixes in the last over, Rinku had smashed Josh Little for a six and a four off the last two deliveries of the 19th over.

With the win, Kolkata Knight Riders also set the record for the most runs scored off the last over in a successful run-chase in the IPL. The previous best was 23 runs, achieved by Rising Pune Supergiants against Punjab Kings in Vizag in 2016.

Meanwhile, Dayal of Gujarat Titans notched up an unenviable record as he registered the second-most expensive spell in the history of the IPL. The 69 runs he conceded in his four overs are second only to Basil Thampi’s 70 in as many overs.

Dayal also became the fifth bowler in the IPL to concede five sixes in an over after Shivam Mavi, Harshal Patel, Sheldon Cottrell and Rahul Sharma.