Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh is not putting enough emphasis on being a potential captaincy contender for the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Rinku’s comments come after he was announced as the captain of Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Interestingly, Rinku has never captained a state team before and is donning altogether a fresh role. His first stint as a captain was expected to come against Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday. However, the match was abandoned due to incessant rain in Vizianagaram.
KKR secured a title victory under the leadership of veteran batter Shreyas Iyer. However, Iyer wanted to test his market value and was released from the franchise. Meanwhile, Rinku was among the six retained players by the KKR ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
With the captaincy spot being open, there are a few contenders – Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku. However, Rinku is focusing on helping UP secure a title victory in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“I am not overthinking about the captaincy of KKR in the new IPL season,” Rinku was quoted saying to ESPNcricinfo. “I am focused on my plans for Uttar Pradesh, as I want my team to regain the trophy we had won for the first time in 2015-16.”
Rinku garnered 168 runs in 11 innings last season at a strike rate of 148.67, with 26 being his top knock in IPL 2024. However, the finisher gained prominence in the 2023 season, where he slammed 474 runs in 14 innings, with four fifties.
Rinku Singh working on becoming a ‘full package’ cricketer
Ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Rinku Singh shed light on his desire to become a full packege, when it comes to all-round skills in the game. Along with being a ferocious striker of the ball, Rinku is also known as an agile fielder and a safe catcher of the cricket ball.
Now, the 27-year-old is looking to add new skills to his armory in the form of off-spin bowling. He said (via ESPNcricinfo):
“I did try my hand at bowling [offspin] too at the UPT20 league. Present-day cricket demands a full package – a cricketer who can bat, bowl and field. Now I am focusing on my bowling too. As captain of Uttar Pradesh, I have got a bigger role to play, and I’m ready for this.”
The recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy saw Rinku Singh emerging as UP’s standout batter with 277 runs in eight innings at an average of 69.25 and a strike rate of 152.19.
FAQs
What is Rinku Singh’s T20I record?
507 runs in 30 innings @46.09
How has Rinku Singh fared in List-A cricket?
1,889 runs @48.69
