It’s incredibly challenging to reach Rinku Singh during the off-season. His phone keeps ringing, messages remain unread on WhatsApp, and he rarely responds to text messages.
But at the Aligarh Sports Association Cricket Ground, you’ll find Rinku in the nets. Batting in the sweltering heat, he goes on for hours and shares a few tips with the young net bowlers. That’s his routine. Over the last few years, after returning home from the Indian Premier League, Rinku has rested for a few days before starting his preparation for the domestic season.
Things, however, have been a bit different this time.
After a fascinating IPL campaign—amassing 474 runs at an average of 59.25 and becoming the highest-scorer for Kolkata Knight Riders—Rinku has become a household name. He has also become the face of the Aligarh Premier League, a tournament on the lines of the IPL, under the Khelo India campaign.
Amid the fanfare, Rinku, however, has not neglected his game. With the domestic season scheduled to start early this time —the Duleep Trophy in June — Rinku says, “I will just continue my routine — practice and gym.”
Ahead of every IPL season, he works on his power-hitting with his long-time coach, Masood Amini. “That’s how I keep myself ready,” he says, adding that ahead of the 2023 edition, he tweaked his batting technique a bit while training at the KKR Academy in Mumbai.
Rinku shot to the limelight in IPL 2023 when he whacked five sixes off Yash Dayal to pull off a last-ball win against Gujarat Titans in a group league fixture. Rinku tries to “keep calm as much as possible” while batting in tricky situations. “Last year, people came to know about me through my cameos. But those five sixes this year have helped me gain respect. Many people now know me.”
Rinku, who idolises Suresh Raina, has endured tough times. His father, Khanchand Singh, was a distributor of LPG cylinders at a local gas agency in Aligarh. Rinku, the third of five siblings, grew up in a cramped two-room quarter. As the family struggled to make ends meet, Rinku nearly became a sweeper to financially contribute to the family. But he never stopped dreaming of competing with the best. “I never gave up on my cricket and always had time for it. I would watch the game and always knew that someday I would become a cricketer,” Rinku had told Sportstar in 2018, shortly after he was roped in by KKR in the auction for Rs 80 lakh.
Before that, he warmed the bench at Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for a year after being roped in for Rs 20 lakh. So, when the KKR team management signed him for a relatively higher price, a section of the fans, still unaware of Rinku’s abilities, slammed the Kolkata franchise for investing in a rookie talent. However, Rinku showed promise in the limited opportunities that came his way.
Run-glut: Rinku racked up 474 runs in one season — the most in IPL history by a batter coming in at No. 5 or below — at an average of 59.25 and a strike-rate of nearly 150. | Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR
Rinku admits the formative years made him mentally stronger. When he was 12, Rinku turned up at the Jadon Riders Club, a local cricket academy, one day and eventually convinced his family to allow him to play the sport. There has been no looking back since.
From being just another local rookie cricketer, Rinku slowly climbed the ladder and made it to Uttar Pradesh’s white-ball team in 2014.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif had a ringside view of Rinku’s stellar debut in List A cricket. Rinku forged a 127-run stand with Kaif for the third wicket in a Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Vidarbha.
In Jaipur that morning, Uttar Pradesh was reeling at 48 for 2 with Kaif, the architect of India’s Natwest Trophy win in 2002, at the crease. UP needed a big partnership to get back into the game when 16-year-old Rinku walked out to bat. He showed no signs of nerves and ended up scoring 83 off 87 balls. Kaif made an 80-ball 74 as UP put on a competitive total of 268 for 6. Though Vidarbha chased down the target, Kaif was impressed with the way Rinku batted. “He was quite quick in running between the wickets, and that’s the first thing that impressed me,” Kaif tells Sportstar.
“He batted with grit and was able to handle his nerves in crunch situations. It’s not easy for a youngster to play with so much dominance on their debut, but Rinku had that ability. Throughout the innings, we backed each other, and I was really happy to see him handle things so well,” Kaif says.
Under Kaif’s captaincy, Uttar Pradesh bagged the Ranji Trophy for the first time in the 2005–06 season. Having seen several youngsters emerge from the state over the years, Kaif says, “More than his IPL form, I judge a cricketer based on how he has fared in four-day games in the last five years, and Rinku has been fairly consistent in his job, despite such cut-throat competition for a spot,” says Kaif.
In 40 first-class outings, Rinku has 2,875 runs at an average of 59.89 with seven centuries and 19 fifties in 59 innings, with a career-best score of 163 not out. The numbers are equally impressive in List A cricket, with 1,749 runs in 50 matches at an average of 53, one century and 16 fifties in 46 innings, and the best score of 104.
“The competition is so intense in the UP team that if one season goes bad, you tend to lose your spot. He has not only handled the pressure but has gone on improving his game and has emerged as a consistent match-winner,” Kaif says.
“The last domestic season was one of his best. He had consistent scores in the 60s and 70s. In every game, he stamped his class with temperament, attitude, and indomitable spirit. There have been times when UP struggled, but Rinku stood firm, and the batting would revolve around him.”
Jubilant scenes: Kolkata Knight Riders’ players celebrated on the pitch with Rinku Singh after his five sixes. | Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS / IPL
In the seven outings in the 2022–23 edition of the Ranji Trophy, Rinku amassed 442 runs at an average of 63.14. He slammed two centuries and as many fifties, often bailing the team out of the woods.
“Initially, I thought playing on the leg side was his strength, but this time around, I was convinced that he is competent in all the areas.
He thinks realistically and knows that no matter how much he scores in one match, he will still have to start from scratch in the next outing,” Kaif says.
Throughout his career, there have been ups and downs. Shortly after the IPL in 2019, Rinku was suspended by the BCCI for three months for featuring in an unauthorised tournament in Abu Dhabi. But the KKR management kept faith in Rinku. Upon his return to domestic cricket, he cemented his place in the Uttar Pradesh side as well. There hasn’t been any looking back since. From chants of ‘Rinku, Rinku’ in a packed Eden Gardens to cricket pundits batting for his inclusion in the Indian team, life has changed for the 25-year-old. ‘Rockstar Rinku’, as some of his teammates often fondly call him, is enjoying every bit of it!
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