Rinku Singh, KKR’s new hero, had once got a sweeper’s job: 5 points
Ahmedabad: Rinku Singh joined the Kolkata Knight Riders for a sum of Rs 80 lakh in 2022. At the start of the 20th over of the 205-run chase against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Kolkata Knight Riders looked like they were out of the chase, needing 29 runs in six balls. The target looked stiffer after Umesh Yadav took a single off the first ball. It meant it was upon Rinku Singh to take the Knight Riders home by scoring 28 runs in five balls. What followed was truly sensational as the left-handed batter smashed Yash Dayal for five sixes in five balls to pull off one of the most unbelievable wins in IPL history.
Born on October 12 1997 in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, Singh grew up in modest surroundings, with his father working as an LPG gas cylinder seller. He has an elder brother, who drives an autorickshaw while another brother works in a coaching centre. Prior to starting his cricketing journey, he got a job as a sweeper at a coaching centre. He refused to take it up and insisted on embarking on a career in cricket.
At the 2022 IPL auction, Singh was bought by the Knight Riders for a sum of Rs 80 lakh. The Knight Riders were locked in a battle with Mumbai Indians to buy him and managed to win the bid in their favour. “Socha tha 20 lakh mein jaoonga, (thought I would get 20 lakhs), but I was picked up for 80! The first thought that came to the mind was that I can contribute in my big brother’s wedding, and save up something for my sister’s wedding too. Aur ek achhe se ghar mein shift ho jaoonga (I will shift to a better house now),” Singh told Indian Express in an interview.
In IPL 2022, Singh made 174 runs in seven matches at a strike-rate of 148.72. The first signs of his ability to hit sixes late in an innings was seen in the game against Lucknow Super Giants when he smashed a 15-ball 40 not out with two fours and four sixes in a chase of 211 runs. On that day, however, he could not take his side home, falling short by two runs. On Sunday, Singh went one better as he smashed five sixes in five balls to help the Knight Riders track down the target of 205 runs set by the Titans, remaining unbeaten on 48 off 21 balls.