Rinku Singh has become the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket at present. Having lit up the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his out-of-the-world finishes for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rinku was brought into the national side with the same promise and confidence and in seven innings in T20Is for India, the left-hander hasn't disappointed one bit. After making his debut in Ireland in August, Rinku finally notched up his maiden T20I fifty as he slammed an unbeaten 68 off just 39 balls against South Africa in Gqeberha on Tuesday, December 12.
Despite the wickets falling around him and him having to settle down for a bit before going berserk, the situation was far from ideal for Rinku to have an impact but looking at the stuff he has been able to achieve and pull off in the last few months, nothing is impossible for the pocket-sized dynamite and he proved it yet again.
Rinku was single-handedly responsible for India getting to 180 after Suryakumar Yadav had departed following his 17th T20I fifty. Rinku hadn't hit a six before getting to a 30-ball fifty and the two he hit in the 19th over off Aiden Markram, one landed straight onto the glass of the media box at St Goerge's Park.
Rinku currently averages 82 having been unbeaten four times out of 7 innings in 11 matches and looks a surety as far as T20 World Cup is concerned. Amid a paucity of designated finishers, Rinku has risen to the top among the potential names and KKR are lucky to have him in the squad, especially at the price they bought him at the IPL 2022 auction.
Rinku was released ahead of the mega-auction last year but KKR bought him back for INR 55 Lakh, with Lucknow Super Giants being the only other bidder. Imagine, India's current top finisher going at just INR 55 Lakh and Rinku not surprisingly has been retained for a second time in a row. It's gold dust for KKR considering if Rinku comes into the auction pool in the coming years, the sky is the limit as to the amount of money teams will be dying to pay to acquire his services. But given the form he is in and the brand that he has become in the last 18 months or so, chances of Rinku coming into the auction are really slim as KKR won't even think of releasing him.
But now that Rinku has gained popularity and mileage which he deserves every bit of, can he handle all of it and keep performing? He is doing it for India and KKR will hope for more of the same in IPL 2024 as well.
