Shardul Thakur became the talk of the town after his magnificent knock helped Kolkata Knight Riders clinch a comfortable 81-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore. Asked to bat first, KKR were reduced to 89/5 in 12 overs despite a quick 57-run knock from opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz. It was then Shardul, who stitched a massive 103-run partnership with Rinku Singh and helped KKR reach a total of 204/7 in 20 overs. Shardul smashed 68 off 29 balls while Rinku contributed with 46 off 33 balls. Later, RCB were bundled out for 123 as KKR registered their first win of IPL 2023.