Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) makes a massive announcement ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). They’ve appointed Rinku Singh as the vice-captain of the team for the IPL 2026 season
KKR’s decision to assign Rinku as the deputy of Ajinkya Rahane is widely appreciated by the fans across social media platforms. Like the previous season, in this season too, the former champions will participate in the tournament under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane.
KKR fans demanded Rinku Singh as the team leader
A part of KKR fans, and the Indian cricket fans and experts, suggested the team sack Rahane from the captaincy and put Rinku Singh in the front row to lead the team. Amid a lot of conversations regarding KKR’s captaincy role, the three-time IPL winners named Ajinkya Rahane as their captain and Rinku Singh as the vice-captain.
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KKR’s announcement to name Rinku as the vice-captain was made during the team’s Knights Unplugged 3.0 event at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, March 24. Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore made the announcement official on stage, in front of the fans.
“I am going to invite a name who became a household name after he hit those five sixes. Rinku Singh. We are delighted to inform you that Rinku, who came on board with us in 2018, will be the vice-captain and work closely with Ajinkya Rahane,” Venky Mysore said.
Rinku Singh remains a crucial part of the Purple squad
Rinku Singh has been a key part of the franchise since. But made his name permanent among the KKR fans when he hit five back-to-back sixes in the final over of the bowling of Yash Dayal in the IPL 2023 campaign. Gradually, he established himself as a prominent finisher and was selected to play for Team India as well.
So far in his IPL career, the Uttar Pradesh-born has played 59 matches, scoring 1099 runs at an average of 30.53 and a strike rate of 145.18. With the Knight Riders, the middle-order batter got to win the IPL trophy in 2024. Ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League, he was a crucial part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumphant team as well.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif suggested that KKR management groom Rinku for their future team leader as he got leadership experience with the UP cricket team.
“KKR should groom Rinku Singh as a future captain. Rinku Singh is an all-format player. Although he is not part of the Test team, he can bat well in all formats. I come from UP, and I know what he does for UP. A lot of batters score runs, but his runs come in winning cause. So, that guy is ready and captains UP,” Kaif said on this YouTube channel in the recent past.
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