Rinku 'brings home the bacon', takes KKR's finisher's baton from Russell

Andre Russell has done the improbable with the bat for Kolkata Knight Riders for over half a decade. As long as Russell is in the middle, the possibilities are endless. When Russell is gone, so are KKR's hopes.

That's one of the reasons why, possibly, Russell walks back looking frustrated, angry and disappointed when he gets out during a close finish. But against Punjab Kings on Monday evening, Russell did no such thing despite being run-out on the penultimate ball of the match. He was a picture of calm walking back after scoring 42 in 23 balls, even though KKR were one ball away from potentially being out of the playoffs race.

That's because Rinku Singh was still there, and on strike, for that last ball. Rinku did not disappoint Russell, or KKR, finishing the game with a four. It was a moment that not only displayed Rinku's growing stature as a finisher but also the passing of the finisher's baton in KKR.

"In any other game, with any other batter, I'm not sure if I would run [a bye in the penultimate ball]," Russell told reporters after the match. "I've never really done those things before. I would back myself to bat the last delivery and get the job done. But when you have a guy like Rinku, who has been so successful in the last couple of overs for us, and when you have such a fearless player who has a shot to counter any delivery, I was definitely confident.

"I gave him a hug and said, 'listen, bring home the bacon for us; at the end of the day, we need you at this point', and he said, 'okay, big man, no worries'. Happy days."

Russell and Rinku had just got themselves set when Arshdeep Singh was tasked with bowling two of the last three overs. KKR needed 36 in 18, and even though Arshdeep conceded ten runs in the 18th over, one four from Rinku was a streaky one, and the bowler's assortment of wide yorkers and short balls made it tough for the two batters to tee off.

Then, with 26 needed off 12, all Arshdeep needed was for Sam Curran to leave enough runs for him to defend in the 20th. Russell looked to hurt Curran, and succeeded with six, six, dot, six in the space of four balls. That over went for 20, and the target of six in the last over made KKR overwhelming favourites.

"Sam Curran was trying to bowl into my body so that I hit the big side of the boundary, that was their plan," Russell said. "I hit him for two sixes over the big side but as a bowler, because I think like a bowler too, so I knew he wasn't going to bowl in that area again. The short ball that he bowled, I missed out on it, but when he bowled the slower cutter into the wicket, I just gave myself that little room and just used my hands to get it over the field.

"He didn't have any third man, it was the short side, and that wasn't part of their team plan. But when you conquer a team's bowling plan, then their Plan B is in the batter's zone most of the time. So T20 is tough and you have to make sure you, as bowlers and batters, stay calm in any situation."

But Arshdeep executed his plan perfectly for the first five balls of the last over.

Russell was welcomed with a yorker, followed by a wide yorker that he could only slice behind square. Rinku then found a thigh-high full toss too tough to put away and Russell followed it up with a drive to cover for two. That made the equation two off two, and with Russell on strike, the penultimate delivery was high stakes.

Arshdeep bowled a terrific wide yorker that was too good for Russell. He swung at it and missed as the ball bounced to the keeper. But Rinku had sprinted across to the other end to ensure he would face the last ball. Russell, slow to take off, was run-out, leaving KKR still needing two off the final ball.

But Rinku on strike. The Eden crowd, which was until then cheering for Russell, started their "Rinku, Rinku, Rinku" chant.

Arshdeep went with a leg-side plan for the final ball. The leg side was the shorter side and there was little chance of KKR's batters making it back for two if the ball went there to a fielder. The bigger off-side region had big pockets for twos, so Arshdeep was not going to go there.

Knowing all that, Rinku moved to the leg side even before Arshdeep delivered the ball. If Arshdeep bowled the ball he wanted to, it would have landed around leg and Rinku had the option of going inside out over cover for two. Instead, Arshdeep missed his length, his attempted leg-stump yorker becoming a thigh-high full toss, and Rinku swivelled a shot off his hips that went for four past fine leg. Like after his celebrations against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Rinku opened his helmet and ran towards the dug-out, with his team-mates mobbing him for his match-winning unbeaten 10-ball 21.

"The key to Rinku's performance is being very calm," Russell said. "As a batter, you have to have an open mind and be relaxed. You can't expect just a full-pitched delivery. You have to expect the slower ball, the yorker, the short ball at the head, and Rinku has a shot for every delivery. That's the key to his success. His technique is very simple... and I've been encouraging him whenever I get a chance to talk to him to stay humble.

"Because no matter how many people keep shouting 'Russell, Russell, Russell', I always just stay humble. Because when you get swell-headed, that's when you lose it. He's a great guy, I love him like a brother, and I hope he keeps doing what he's doing."