Rinku Singh asking a finisher to rotate strike in the fifth ball shows the confidence he has: Mohammad Kaif

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif heaped massive praise on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh for proving his mettle in the final ball during the clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Courtesy of a boundary in the final ball by Rinku in a high-voltage contest, KKR clinched two crucial points at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, May 8.

For the uninitiated, KKR required six off the final over as the duo of Andre Russell and Rinku were up against left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. After getting four runs off the first four deliveries, Arshdeep bowled a full, wide-ish yorker in the penultimate ball, upon which Russell could not time it well for big runs.

However, it was Rinku who showed presence of mind as he urged Russell to swiftly steal a bye in order to play the final ball of the contest. With Russell dismissed due to a run-out, the young southpaw clobbered a boundary off the last ball to win the contest. With this, former cricketer Kaif was impressed with Rinku showing character in the final over and asking Russell to rotate the strike at a crucial point in the match.

"Credit to Rinku for asking a player like Russell to rotate strike on the fifth ball of the delivery. An uncapped Indian player like Rinku Singh asking a finisher like Russell to come to the non-striker's end shows the confidence this player has in his game. This, for me, is a story of IPL,” Kaif told on Star Sports.

Russell regaining his form is big news for them: Harbhajan Singh

During the chase of 180 runs, skipper Nitish Rana played an instrumental knock as he got 51 off 38 balls which included six fours and one six. However, Russell, who seemed to be out of form, delivered the goods against Punjab as he played an explosive knock of 42 runs off 23 balls featuring three sixes and as many fours. In the same segment, Harbhajan highlighted that KKR would be delighted with Russell getting back to form during the fag end of the season.

"The win against PBKS will give a lot of confidence to KKR. Their star players, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh finished the game for them. Russell regaining his form is big news for them,” said Harbhajan on Star Sports.