Uttar Pradesh batter Rinku Singh might be only 24 years of age but he has been around the cricketing circuit for more than 7 years now. It is only in IPL 2022 that the Aligarh boy is finally showing his true prowess to the world.


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On Monday (May 2), Rinku’s 42 of 23 balls guided Kolkata Knight Riders to their fourth win in IPL 2022 over Rajasthan Royals to keep them in hunt for a Playoffs berth. Rinku has a brilliant average of over 64 in 30 first-class matches so far with 5 hundreds and 16 fifties and over 50 in List A games as well.


“I am the first to play IPL from Aligarh, though many have played Ranji Trophy. There is pressure in the IPL that is not there much in first-class. It’s been five years and I haven’t been getting chances regularly. It feels good to contribute now. Baz (Brendon McCullum) told me to finish the game and so did Nitish Rana,” Rinku said at the post-match presentation.


Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer on Monday lavished praise on Rinku Singh for showing ‘outstanding’ calmness under pressure, calling him an ‘asset’ for the team. Rinku smashed an unbeaten 23-ball 42 studded with six boundaries and a six as he and Nitish Rana (48 not out) chased down a 153-run target with ease for a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals.


“I was talking to my teammates in the dressing room and was like, the way he’s maintaining his calm even in such pressure situations playing his second or third game, it’s outstanding,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation ceremony.


“Building that partnership with Nitish Rana in that situation, it’s something we have to praise about and he’s a great asset for the future in the franchise. The way he has given starts right from the first game, he doesn’t look like a newcomer in the team.”



Iyer also praised his bowlers, especially veteran Umesh Yadav (1/24) and Sunil Narine (0/19) for consistently producing the goods for KKR. “Right from the powerplay when our bowlers conceded just 36 runs and took a wicket, it was just the start we needed,” he said.


“We have been talking about Umesh right from the start. He has increased his pace, bowls those hard lengths and as a captain you just have to give him the ball to deliver. Whenever I give Sunil Narine the ball, he gets me wickets, but the batsmen don’t take chances against him. He is very economical, but when he gets a wicket, he gets a big one.”


(With PTI inputs)