Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has been a blockbuster hit and one of the key figures behind the massive success of the league is Rinku Singh. He has been garnering attention with his stellar performances and ended the season as the top-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He scored 474 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 149.5, including four half-centuries. On Saturday night, he found himself in a familiar position when KKR needed 18 runs to win off the last three balls. Though he missed out on a few runs to chase down 187, Rinku registered his highest individual score in the IPL – an unbeaten 67 off just 33 balls.
Consistent good performances in the ongoing tournament has made Rinku the favorite player of many. Experts have termed him as the ‘best finisher’ at the moment and want him to play for India. The latest person to join the bandwagon is former India spin legend Harbhajan Singh, who heaped massive praise for the Aligarh batsman.
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Speaking on Star Sports, Harbhajan believed Rinku could make it into the India dressing room before he turns up for KKR next season.
“Rinku Singh has etched his name in the list of legendary match finishers in the history of IPL. With his incredible performances this season, he has put himself in the league of legends like Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard. I salute this exceptionally talented cricketer. He has won millions of hearts with his breathtaking innings this season and I bow down to him. My best wishes to Rinku and his family. In the next IPL season, he may not be an uncapped player,” Harbhajan said.
Rinku has earned a lot of respect even from experienced capped cricketers. Lucknow Supergiants captain Krunal Pandya described the 25-year-old as a special player after his fighting innings at the Eden Gardens on Saturday night and admitted that with him in the middle order, no team can take it easy.
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“Rinku has been special this year, every game when he is there you can’t take it easy. Today he showed it again, but it is a high-pressure situation to execute his plans while bowling at the death. I was talking to my bowlers after every ball, I asked them to execute their plans, if the batsman plays a good shot after that then we can’t do anything,” Kunal said at the post-match presentation. .
