IPL 2023: How call from Shah Rukh Khan inspired KKR captain Nitish Rana to match-winning performance vs PBKS

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IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are not going through the best of seasons and are currently occupying the sixth spot in the ten-team IPL 2023 table. They have lost six and won five matches. With three league matches left, the two-time champions are still in contention for the play-offs.

KKR, who are without their regular captain Shreyas Iyer this time, have won three of their last four matches. However, much of their misery this season is because of their four consecutive defeats between April 14 and April 23.

In their last match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), the host won a last-ball thriller at Eden Gardens by chasing a 180-run target. The match saw the likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh rising up to the occasion in the crucial games.

Also stepping up and leading from the front again was Nitish Rana. In his debut season as the KKR captain, the southpaw played some blazing knock and this time around, he first dismissed his Punjab counterpart Shikhar Dhawan who top-scored for his team with 57 runs.

Later with the bat, the 29-year-old blasted 51 runs off 38 balls to keep KKR in the hunt. Later Russell and Rinku ensured to take Kolkata over the line.

SRK's pep talk does wonders for Rana

The Delhi-born batter has now revealed that he got Shah Rukh called him ahead of the match and instilled confidence in him by praising his captaincy and giving him the freedom to express himself on the field.

"I got the call from him before the match. He told me to keep the belief. You're doing well as a captain. Your captaincy is good. Just back yourself. Don't doubt yourself too much.

Do whatever you feel is right, I will back you. That was the confidence I had even in the last game. Last over, I gave it to the spinner. I'm trying to be myself being the captain and be myself while batting," Rana told Star Sports.

Rana is the second-highest run-scorer for his team in the IPL 2023. He has scored 326 runs in 11 matches at an average of 29.63 and a strike rate of 146.84.