IPL 2023: Season of Close Games: From Rinku’s 5 last over sixes to Pooran’s astronomical laser show
IPL 2023: Season of Close Games: From Rinku Singh's 5 last over sixes to Nicholas Pooran’s astronomical laser show. Why so many close games in IPL 2023?
Nearly one month into the tournament, the 16th edition of IPL has seen some remarkable close finishes. From Dhruv Jurel’s valiant cameo that almost snatched a victory for Rajasthan Royals (RR) from the jaws of defeat, to Rinku Singh’s scintillating fireworks in the last over that propelled Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an unbelievable victory, such close encounters have surely brought the fans to the edge of their seats. Furthermore, with the advent of Impact Player rule and referral for wides/no-balls, a new dimension to the game has been added which in turn is proving to have quite an impact on the end results.
Out of 28 games played so far, nearly 11 have gone down to the wire ending in nail biting thrillers. And while the tournament continues to progress, the number of close encounters is only expected to grow. Teams chasing have won 50 per cent of the games played so far in IPL 2023. With teams now being able to chase record totals, close finishes are now becoming an everyday occurrence.
From the nerve wracking final over from Sandeep Sharma against CSK to the last ball drama in the between LSG and RCB where Avesh Khan sneaked a bye to seal the deal for Giants, the list goes on. We bring you some of the most fascinating close encounters witnessed so far in the ongoing IPL edition.
Match No.13: Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders
This enthralling match between KKR and GT was by far one of the best games in the history of IPL where the Titans were blown away at home by Rinku Singh’s 5 sixes in the last over. Although it was Rinku who hogged the limelight for the obvious reasons, focus must be shifted to Venkatesh Iyer who was brought in as an Impact Player in the second innings. After conceding a giant total in the first innings, KKR knew that they needed to bolster their batting department to chase down a mammoth target against a formidable GT bowling line up. The strategy soon worked out in their favour as Iyer flourished with the bat and became the highest run-scorer for his side scoring 83(40) at an astronomical strike rate of 208. His contribution with the bat helped KKR set up a solid platform for Rinku to explode in the death overs which he did with flying colours.
Read More: IPL 2023, GT vs KKR: Rinku Singh smashes 5 sixes in 5 balls in final over; KKR win
Match No.8: Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings
Dhruv Jurel’s quickfire innings of 32(15) came in a losing cause against Punjab Kings. He walked in to bat when RR needed 74 runs in the last 5 overs with 4 wickets in hand. Following the departure of Devdutt Padikkal, Jurel was sent in as the last recognised batter ahead of Jason Holder and played a dazzling knock game to turn a one-sided game to a fairly close contest. Jurel stitched together a 61-run partnership off 26 balls with Shimron Hetmyer to take the Royals to the brink of victory. Playing only in his first IPL match, the youngster scored 32 runs off 15 balls. His lightening strokeplay sure gave some minor heart attacks to the Punjab Kings supporters. Had he not been replaced then it would either have been Holder or Boult at No.6 and the game would have been seen a rather premature end.
Read More: IPL 2023, RR vs PBKS: Ellis's 4 vital strikes halt RR; PBKS reach No.2 in points table
