KKR batter Rinku Singh engaged in a hilariously uncomfortable conversation with Virat Kohli, asking the latter for a bat. Rinku revealed that he had broken the previous bat Virat gave him and wanted a new one.
KKR batter Rinku Singh engaged in a hilarious but uncomfortable conversation with Virat Kohli ahead of KKR vs RCB at the Eden Gardens. Set to be played in Kolkata on Sunday 21 April, this will be the reverse fixture of the rivalry. In the first leg, KKR had hammered RCB at their home in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. One of the highlights of the rivalry was the mutual admiration shared between the players on the two sides.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star batter Virat Kohli had gifted one of his bats to KKR’s Rinku Singh in that game. However, it turns out that Rinku broke that bat while playing a spinner in the Indian Premier League and slyly proceeded to ask for a replacement from Kohli ahead of the KKR vs RCB game.
In incident, scripted or not, was caught by KKR cameramen following Rinku who was seen explaining to Kohli how he had already broken his bat. As Rinku was checking out two of Kohli’s other bats, a slightly agitated Kohli asked for details of the whereabouts and enquired if Rinku was asking for a second bat. Before Rinku could answer his question, Kohli told the KKR batter that if he gave Rinku 2 bats in 2 matches, he would be in trouble later in the tournament.
Contents
- 1 IPL Specials – Virat’s Gift to Rinku Singh
- 2 Also Read – Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube & Rinku Singh: Who Can Be India’s Top Finisher in T20 World Cup 2024?
- 3 RCB vs KKR – The Previous Battle
- 4 The Upcoming Encounter
- 5 Teams Unloaded
- 6 Also Read – Major Updates Ahead of India’s T20 World Cup Campaign in 2024
- 7 Team Talks
IPL Specials – Virat’s Gift to Rinku Singh
RCB’s star batter, Virat Kohli, gave a special gift to KKR’s emerging star Rinku Singh after the match between the 2 teams at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. RCB suffered a humbling loss against Kolkata at their own home ground by 7 wickets. KKR extended their dominance at RCB’s den by registering their 6th consecutive win at the stadium. After the conclusion of the match, Rinku received a special bat from Kohli, something that would be one of his prized possessions.
Also Read – Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube & Rinku Singh: Who Can Be India’s Top Finisher in T20 World Cup 2024?
The bat marked a token of appreciation for Rinku’s performances and his rise as a finisher for KKR as well as the Indian team. The video also featured the RCB and KKR players interacting with each other after the match, which showcased an exemplary display of respect and sportsmanship.
RCB have arrived in Kolkata to get their campaign back on track. The team has five matches in a row and now desperately needs to win their remaining games to stay afloat in the tournament.
RCB vs KKR – The Previous Battle
KKR met RCB at their home ground Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 29 in a situation where the home teams had been winning continuous matches.
The match witnessed the destructive KKR bowler-turned-batsman Sunil Narine return back to form, hitting 47 runs in just 22 balls with two fours and five humongous sixes. Batting first, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru managed to score 182 runs in the designated 20 overs courtesy of a fine knock of 83 runs from Virat Kohli and some useful contributions from Cameron Green, Maxwell, and Dinesh Karthik. KKR plundered as many runs with 19 balls remaining, all top four batsmen making useful contributions.
The Upcoming Encounter
Even as both teams would be coming into the game well rested, they will be up against grueling conditions. There is a heat wave sweeping Kolkata with an ‘orange alert’ alarm. Excessive humidity will only make it more challenging for both teams in the afternoon game. Bowlers are going to have a tough time, so don’t be surprised if the captain winning the toss opts to bat.
Teams Unloaded
Kolkata Knight Riders
Injuries and availability – Nitish Rana, who was out due to an injury for the early part of the tournament, is yet to play for KKR this season. Rinku Singh, who had a few niggles and played as an impact substitute in the previous game, had promised that he would be fielding in Sunday’s clash.
Tactics & Matchups – Sunil Narine has managed to tie down Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell. If they do manage to get through the powerplay safely, they will need to find a way to ensure that they are not stagnated through the middle overs.
Probable XI – Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer/Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy [Impact Substitute: Vaibhav Arora]
Also Read – Major Updates Ahead of India’s T20 World Cup Campaign in 2024
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Injuries/Unavailability – Glenn Maxwell had opted out of the previous game citing mental fatigue. Whether he is fresh to return remains unknown.
Tactics & Matchups – Mohammed Siraj has had the upper hand against Sunil Narine, dismissing the southpaw twice in 11 balls and conceding only 12 runs. He will hold the key for RCB upfront, especially given that Narine has had the better of Yash Dayal and Alzarri Joseph in the IPL. Siraj also has dominated the battles against Shreyas Iyer and Andre Russell.
Probable XI – Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Alzarri Joseph, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj [Impact Substitute: Yash Dayal]
Team Talks
“The belief is definitely there. If there is no belief, there is no point playing in a tournament like the IPL. Every year, there have been teams at this stage, trying to find their feet, but haven’t had a great tournament. But there have been so many instances where they have picked up and won matches. We believe that if we can do something special, there have been a few matches, where we can get the momentum and use that to our advantage.” – Dinesh Karthik
“In the last match, we didn’t bowl well in the death overs. But before that, against LSG, we had done well. We had done our planning well, but need to improve on our execution. If we do that, we will get better [in the death overs].” – Vaibhav Arora on KKR’s bowling.
