Calcutta: Within a month, Rinku Singh attended a funeral (his father’s), a final (Men’s T20 World Cup), lost his place in the Indian team and was named vice-captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The duel, the pain of being tied, being world champion and Ajinkya Rahane’s substitute occurred between February 22 and March 24. A day later, in absentia, Rinku was appointed regional sports director of Uttar Pradesh.
Such a contrasting reversal of fortune may be overwhelming, but clearly, KRR believes Rinku is made of sterner stuff. Rahane summed up Rinku’s ability to treat the twin impostors of triumph and disaster in the same manner when he said, “He has just won the World Cup (T20) and has also gone through tough times. Watching Rinku practice very hard day in and day out really motivates us.”
Giving the 28-year-old Rinku extra responsibility in a team short on fast bowling and with a top-heavy batting line-up (Rahane, Sunil Narine, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Cameron Green and Angkrish Raghuvanshi) may be KKR’s way of asking more of him. Like wearing shoes the size of Andre Russell.
“Don’t tag him as a finisher please,” Aakash Chopra had said on a Cricinfo show last January after Rinku scored 44 off 20 deliveries against New Zealand. Sure, Rinku has the temperament and technique to bat higher, but with Russell and his jersey retired, the death overs are where he might be needed.
In 2025, Rinku reached his best IPL strike rate (153.73) thanks to some quickfire 30 and 19 sixes against Delhi Capitals batting at 6 or 8. Starting his journey to Mumbai Indians on Sunday, he could be asked to do the same this time around.
Rinku has been a part of winning teams where his contributions were cameos or less. In five T20 World Cup matches, where he batted once at No. 8 and twice at No. 6 and No. 7, Rinku scored in double figures (11 in 4 balls against Pakistan). At the 2023 Asian Games, where India won gold, Rinku did not bat against Bangladesh and missed the final due to rain. So, by way of maximum in Hangzhou, there were only 37 spirited and unbeaten against Nepal.
In 2024, KKR’s title fight was a little better. Rinku did not have to bat in the play-off or the final, nor in two more matches in the league phase. With openers Sunil Narine and Phil Salt and the Iyers, Shreyas and Venkatesh, doing most of the scoring, Rinku totaled 168 runs in 15 matches.
But as Gautam Gambhir, as then KKR mentor and now India coach, likes to point out, there were some crucial contributions, usually at No. 6. Like 26 off eight balls against Delhi Capitals, 20 off nine against Rajasthan Royals, 24 off 16 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and 20 off 12 against Mumbai Indians.
And then came 2023, where Rinku top-scored for KKR with 474, his highest IPL score of 67, even though it came amid the heartbreak of a one-run loss to Lucknow Super Giant. Needing 41 off 12 balls, Rinku got 39. Signed by $80 lakh in 2018: Rinku was released by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) without playing a game in 2017; 2023 was his breakout season.
One in which he, like Carlos Brathwaite after the 2016 World Cup, became part of T20 history. Rinku’s five sixes in the last five balls of an innings against Gujarat Titans remain the only instance of that happening in T20 since ball-by-ball data was recorded. KKR needed 39 for eight when Rinku reduced them to 29 for six with a six and four off the 19th over bowled by Josh Little. Umesh Yadav took a first-ball single off Yash Dayal and then Rinku created history. Going into the last over, ESPNCricinfo tipster gave KKR a 1.29% chance of winning.
Rinku had fulfilled the promise shown in an unbeaten 42 off 23 balls against Rajasthan Royals, hitting a four off the first ball, bowling Kuldeep Sen for a six and fielding. His white-ball debut for India followed and in 2025 KKR retained him for $13 crores. Rinku had gone from a safe backup outfielder in the deep (2018-2022) to a superstar. One that needs to live up to that billing in 2026.
“I think when KKR’s name comes up, you always think of Shah Rukh Khan sir, and after Shah Rukh Khan sir, it’s Rinku Singh,” Rahane said.