The success story of the pocket dynamo of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pocket dynamo, Rinku Kumar Singh, will be narrated as bedtime stories for any aspiring cricketer with a modest background. From creating a fan page for himself to having fans in every part of the country and even the world, it’s fair to say he has come a long way. Rinku Kumar Singh is now often associated with power-hitting and tenacity in Indian cricket. The 25-year-old left-handed batsman from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has overcome numerous obstacles to build a name for himself on the domestic and IPL circuits. His five sixes off the final five balls to win the game against the defending champions Gujarat Titans cemented his place as a generational talent. He has been amongst the runs and top-scored for the Kolkata Knight Riders this season in the TATA IPL 2023. He has amassed 437 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of nearly 145. He has three fifties to his name as he is now feared to bowl.
Although he now represents the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he made his debut for one of their rivals, then known as Kings XI Punjab. Although having not played a single game, he was roped in by KKR in the subsequent season, where the mega auction took place. Coming on the back of an incredible run for Uttar Pradesh, his signing may have seemed like a filler, but he is now the backbone of the team. It was in 2022 that his blitz was explicitly seen. Having faced a ban for playing in a foreign league, Rinku missed the entire 2021 season but came back the following year, and under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, he blossomed. Scoring 174 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 150. His heroics that almost won the game against the Lucknow Super Giants are dearly remembered, and that was when the public learned about what the little man was capable of.
Early Life
Rinku Singh was born into a low-income home with five siblings. His father delivered LPG, and his brother ran an auto-rickshaw. Rinku had a childhood fascination with cricket and used to play with a tennis ball near his residence. He also considered working as a sweeper to help support his family but turned it down in order to pursue his love. Like any other father shown in films, his father adamantly opposed his son’s participation in a competitive and dangerous sport. Rinku Singh used to get battered by his father anytime he was discovered playing cricket in his neighborhood, but all it took to change his dad’s perceptions and fear was just one incident.
A bike was presented to Rinku Singh for being the top player in a local cricket tournament. It was handed over without hesitation by Rinku and instructed to be kept by his father. He was then given the go-ahead to pursue his career after alleviating his father’s concerns and putting his skepticism to rest. People recognized his brilliance, and he was highly anticipated to don the national blues. Suresh Raina, popularly known as Mr. IPL, is thought to have sponsored him, but there is no proof to back this up. The motivation behind Rinku’s actions is Raina; he has stated many times.
He began playing for Uttar Pradesh across multiple age-group levels, and his fiery batting approach astonished onlookers. At 16, he appeared in his List A debut and made 83 runs in the inaugural game. He also debuted in first-class cricket in 2016 and ended the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy as Uttar Pradesh’s best run-scorer with 953 runs in 10 matches. He represented Central Zone at the Under-19 level and Uttar Pradesh at the Under-16, Under-19, and Under-23 levels. He made his List A debut for Uttar Pradesh in March 2014 at 16. On November 5, 2016, he made his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy during the 2016-17 season.
Rinku gives it back to where he came from
This year’s IPL event has seen him make a name for himself. Despite growing up in poverty, he plans to build a sports hostel for impoverished cricketers in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, according to an article in the New Indian Express. He invested Rs 50 lakh on the project, and the left-handed batter’s wish will come true when it is completed next month. He came from humble beginnings before his meteoric climb to popularity. He has not only won games but also hearts all around the world. Rinku is poised to take the world by storm, and his inclusion in the Indian national squad appears imminent.