Introduction
On April 3, 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders needed 29 runs off the final over against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens. Most people watching had already made peace with the result. KKR had one wicket remaining. The batter at the crease was Rinku Singh — a 25-year-old from Aligarh who had spent years on the margins of Indian cricket, had played 3 IPL seasons without making a major impression, and had earlier in the same over hit only 5 runs. Then Rinku Singh hit Yash Dayal for six. And again. And again. And again. And again. Five consecutive sixes off the last five balls of the match. KKR won by 3 wickets. The entire country — and much of the cricket world watching live — simply could not process what had happened.
The Impossible Math Before Ball One
Let’s understand what Rinku Singh was facing before that first six. KKR needed 29 runs off 6 balls with 1 wicket remaining. The expected win probability for KKR at that point was approximately 1-2%, depending on which model you used. The highest successful final-over run-chase in IPL history before that match was significantly lower than 29. Rinku had scored 5 runs off the first ball of the over — a single, leaving him needing 28 off 5 with the same one wicket in hand. Commentators had moved on to describing KKR’s ‘brave effort’ in making the match competitive. The camera cut to the KKR dressing room — players with their heads in their hands, some already removing pads. Then ball two: SIX. Ball three: SIX. Ball four: SIX. Ball five: SIX. Ball six: SIX. KKR 205, SRH 202.
Who Rinku Singh Is and Why This Story Matters
The ‘who’ behind those five sixes is as important as the sixes themselves. Rinku Singh grew up in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, in a family that struggled financially. His father drove an LPG gas cylinder delivery vehicle. Rinku joined cricket academies as a child because it was something to do — a way out, a possibility. He was picked up by KKR in the 2022 auction for a relatively modest sum, having been picked and released by franchises multiple times in the preceding years. He was not a well-known name before April 3, 2023. He was not a player who featured in pre-match discussion or fantasy cricket previews. He was the last batter KKR needed to rely on. He was the person who finished that over with five sixes off five balls.
The Aftermath — From Unknown to India International Overnight
The morning after Rinku’s five sixes, his name was the most searched term on Indian social media. By the following week, he had been mentioned in the Indian parliament, had appeared on every major sports show, and had received messages from Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and multiple members of the Indian team. He was selected for the India T20I squad within months of that innings. He went on to become one of India’s most reliable T20 finishers, picking up the specific skill set that only the IPL’s pressure-cooker environment teaches: the ability to hit under extreme conditions with almost no margin for error. His story — the young man from a modest background in Aligarh who hit five sixes to win a match that was over — became one of the most told stories in Indian cricket in the year that followed.
DID YOU KNOW? Yash Dayal, the bowler who conceded five consecutive sixes, was dismissed in tears after the match and required significant psychological support from the SRH management. He was 22 years old, playing only his fourth IPL match. He recovered to become a reliable IPL bowler in subsequent seasons.
Final Verdict Five sixes off five balls. From a player nobody expected. To win a match that was 98% lost. Rinku Singh’s final over against SRH is the single most dramatic finish in IPL history — and a reminder that in T20 cricket, it is never, ever over until the last ball is bowled.