Rinku Singh smashed an unbeaten 53 off 34 balls to pull Kolkata Knight Riders to a four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens on 19 April 2026. This win finally ends a rough start to their IPL 2026 season.
Rinku Singh rescues KKR with an unbeaten 53 as Kolkata finally break their losing streak against RR
KKR were in a tough spot at 88 for 6, but Rinku and Anukul Roy managed to get the team across the line in 19.4 overs, chasing down RR's total of 155 for 9. This victory gives KKR their first real points of the season, and Rinku's calm, focused innings was the main reason they pulled it off.
How did Rinku save the day for KKR?
The innings was a masterclass in handling middle-order pressure. Rinku caught a break when Nandre Burger dropped him off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling, and he made RR pay for the mistake right away. He finished with five fours and two sixes, showing his calculated hitting and calm nerves.
After the game, Rinku was open about the pressure, admitting that your mind can sometimes go blank in those pressure moments and that he had a bit of luck on his side. He explained that his only plan was to stay at the crease as long as possible, a strategy he kept discussing with his coach and batting partner.
"That’s what happens sometimes, sir. In that moment, the mind doesn’t work properly, and you end up playing such shots. But thankfully, luck was on my side, and we eventually won the match. Yes, sir, that was in my mind as well. I had played quite a few innings and was waiting for a big one."
“When runs don’t come, you start thinking. It was not that I was hesitating in hitting my shots. The mindset was to take it till the end. You play those shots [when he was dropped off a no-look slog] when your mind isn’t working. God helped me. It was a very good innings for my confidence. The win will give us a lot of confidence. We’ll look to carry this momentum forward,” he added.
What does this win mean for a struggling KKR?
The former champions have looked out of sync all season, and the pressure on the squad was clearly mounting. Varun Chakravarthy set the tone with figures of 3 for 14, while Kartik Tyagi took 3 for 22, giving KKR a solid head start with the ball that the batters nearly threw away before Rinku stepped in. Meanwhile, RR have dropped to third place after losing two in a row following a strong start.
Rinku Singh’s 53 not out is the best proof yet that KKR still have the fight left in them. After this win, they finally have some momentum that seemed completely lost just a few days ago.
