By Debasis Sen
From career-threatening injury to pulling off an improbable win against Gujarat Titans, this is the story of Rinku Singh.
When the final over began with Kolkata Knight Riders needing 29 to beat Gujarat Titans, the defending IPL champions, in the noisy cauldron of the Narendra Modi Stadium, no one gave them a chance. The various predictive algorithms had their chance of victory at less than 2 per cent. When the equation narrowed to 28 from 5 balls, it was even less likely. But no one told Rinku Singh.
His five consecutive sixes off Yash Dayal, his Uttar Pradesh teammate, sealed one of the most improbable victories in the competition’s 16-season history. It’s one thing for a Shane Warne or an MS Dhoni to seal unforgettable last-ball wins. But no one even imagined such a thing with Rinku at the crease.
For the 25-year-old Rinku, this season is all about payback. After a career-threatening knee injury which forced him to miss IPL 2021, he has worked hard to cement his place in the KKR playing XI. His 46-run cameo from 33 balls on Thursday night against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens gave a glimpse of his potential, and it was his partnership with Shardul Thakur that paved the way for a convincing win.
Watching this on L➅➅➅➅➅P… and we still can’t believe what we just witnessed! 🤯pic.twitter.com/1tyryjm47W
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 9, 2023
Talking exclusively to RevSportz before the start of season, Rinku said, “KKR has supported me since I joined them in 2018. I did not have a great start in the first few seasons but the management constantly backed me. During the time of my knee injury, they ensured I undergo surgery. I will forever be in debt to KKR.”
He had also spoken about his role this season. “I have been given role clarity by the management,” he said. “I normally bat at No.5 or 6. I must adapt to what the situation demands. I will not take much pressure. I have been given added responsibility, and I back myself to win matches for KKR.”
With Chandrakant Pandit new to the coach’s role, Rinku was confident KKR could bounce back from last season’s seventh-place finish. In addition to all the skill-based preparation though, Rinku offers something else to the squad.
He is one of the team’s livewires in the dressing room. Everyone associated with the KKR squad, from Shah Rukh Khan, the team owner, to the video analyst, loves him. “I am a fun-loving person and I always enjoy being that way,” says Rinku. “It is my nature. I feel in a team sport like cricket, you need to have a good environment in the dressing room. I have a dream, and it is to be part of an IPL-winning side.
“In cricket, you will win some matches and lose as well. It is all part and parcel of the game. Chandrakant Sir has brought discipline to the side, and emphasises the basics. I have a feeling we will do well this season.”
Rinku also shares a fantastic equation with Andre Russell, the team’s Jamaican stalwart who has been learning Hindi from him. “I have a great bond with Andre,” says Rinku. “I do not know much English, but we crack jokes with each other. I am trying to teach him Hindi. Last year he used to say Om Fo!”
The knee injury happened in 2021. The franchise stepped in and Venky Mysore, CEO of the Knight Riders, provided for his surgery and rehab which was carried out in Mumbai. He was bought by the franchise for INR 80 lakhs ahead of the IPL 2022 mini-auction. A lengthy period of rehab and recovery was followed by doubts over his ability.
It was his mental toughness and endurance that kept him going. And by sheer coincidence, he found himself facing a bowler he was quite familiar with as the Gujarat-Kolkata game went to the wire. Dayal couldn’t land his yorkers, and Rinku belted the ball with immense power. Four of the five sixes cleared the rope by a distance.
The IPL commands such a following because it provides a galaxy for the game’s biggest stars – from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, to Rashid Khan and Ben Stokes. But what makes it truly special are the moments like these, when an emerging cricketer that hardly anyone had heard of takes centre stage and scripts an unforgettable memory. To borrow from what Ian Bishop once said of Carlos Brathwaite after his final-over sixes had ‘stolen’ a World T20 final in 2016, “Remember the name.”
No matter what he does from here on, Rinku’s name will be part of KKR and IPL lore forever.