Nitish Rana, incumbent skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, became the fourth player to complete 2000 runs in IPL for the franchise. Rana achieved the exemplary milestone in Kolkata’s pool stage fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad last night at the Eden Gardens.
Winning the toss in the 47th game of IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Nitish Rana made an impressive decision to bat first. Batting first, Kolkata lacked stability in the start and struggled at 35/3 until their captain came to the rescue.
Nitish Rana came in to bat at the No. 4 position in the seventh over of the game. Upon his arrival, Kolkata Knight Riders lost another wicket in the form of Jason Roy (20). Rinku Singh came in next to support his under-pressure skipper and settle things down.
Nitish Rana’s 42-run knock guided KKR to a decent total
Nitish Rana was captivated by the opportunity to stand strong at the end and build a partnership alongside in-form Rinku Singh. Rana played a pivotal knock and amassed 42 runs. He stitched a crucial match-winning stand of 61 runs alongside Rinku Singh who also gathered 46 runs by powering a top-class knock.
Rana and Rinku laid the foundation of Kolkata’s brilliant first innings total as they posted 171 runs on the board. Backed on another splendid performance by the bowlers, Kolkata Knight Riders managed to pull a riveting five runs victory in the final over of the match.
Nitish Rana’s brilliant and vital knock of 42 runs not only helped Kolkata to seize a victory but also made him storm into the flagship list of batsmen who have scored 2000 runs for the Knight Riders in IPL. Nitish Rana now has 2,019 runs in his kitty featuring in 80 IPL games.
Apart from Nitish Rana, the clinical feat is also acclaimed by three other KKR batsmen. These are Gautam Gambhir, Andre Russell, and Robin Uthappa. The trio has also helped Kolkata to lift two IPL titles back in 2012 and 2014.
Also read, KKR Vs SRH: Kolkata Outplays Hyderabad In Last Over Thriller
