As the IPL 2026 approaches, Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday named Rinku Singh as their vice captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. In addition, the announcement was made by the KKR managing director Venky Mysore during a pre-season event in Kolkata.
Rinku Singh will serve as Ajinkya Rahane’s Deputy and is all set to help the Kolkata Knight Riders achieve their fourth IPL title. He is rewarded for his explosive batting and brilliant fielding for KKR and brings leadership experience with his home state, Uttar Pradesh domestic circuit.
Venky Mysore Statement on Rinku Singh
As per Outlook India, he said: “On behalf of everyone in the franchise, we’re really delighted to announce that Rinku Singh will be the vice-captain of the team. Rinku joined KKR in 2018 and has been a regular in the team ever since.”
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Rinku Singh IPL Stats
Rinku Singh is from Aligarh and was first bought by the Punjab Kings in IPL 2017, but didn’t get the chance to play a single match for them. His actual IPL journey started with the Kolkata Knight Riders, who offered him a debut in 2018.
He was bought by KKR for 80 lakh in 2018 and is now retained for INR 13 crore for the IPL 2026. He got into headlines after hitting five sixes in a last-over chase against Yash Dayal.
He played around 59 for KKR and scored over 1,000 runs with an average of 30.52 and a strike rate of 145.17. In addition, he was also a part of India’s 2026 T20 World Cup-winning team.
The decision was backed by head coach Abhishek Nayar. Rinku’s evolution within the set-up made him a natural choice for a leadership role. He said, “I’ve seen him evolve as a leader over the years. He’s someone the team always looks forward to, so we wanted to give him a little bit more responsibility. I feel it’s the perfect time after winning the T20 World Cup.”
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Uttar Pradesh Government Appointed Rinku Singh as a regional sports officer.
According to the reports, recently, Rinku Singh has also been appointed as a regional sports officer by the Uttar Pradesh government. The state has launched the scheme under which all athletes will be offered government jobs and cash rewards for their brilliant performance at international events.
In addition, the three-time IPL champions KKR are all set to play their first match on March 29 against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.