Before the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has made a big announcement. They have appointed Rinku Singh as the vice-captain of the team for the IPL 2026 season.
KKR’s decision to appoint Rinku as Ajinkya Rahane’s deputy is being widely appreciated by fans on social media platforms. Like last season, this season too will participate in the tournament under the captaincy of former champion Ajinkya Rahane.
KKR fans demand Rinku Singh as team leader
A section of KKR fans and Indian cricket fans and experts suggested that the team remove Rahane from the captaincy and keep Rinku Singh in the front row to lead the team. Amidst a lot of talk about KKR’s captaincy role, the three-time IPL winners named Ajinkya Rahane as their captain and Rinku as their vice-captain.
KKR had announced Rinku’s appointment as vice-captain during the team’s Nights Unplugged 3.0 event at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, March 24. Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore made the official announcement on stage in front of the fans.
Venky Mysore said, “I am going to invite a name who became a household name after those five sixes. Rinku Singh. We are happy to tell you that Rinku, who joined us in 2018, will be the vice-captain and will work closely with Ajinkya Rahane.”
Rinku Singh. vice captain. KKR
Watch Nights Unplugged 3.0 live now on our YouTube channel pic.twitter.com/bsne3dRpDL
– KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) 24 March 2026
Rinku remains an important part of the Purple team
Rinku Singh has been an important part of the franchise ever since. But he made his name permanent among KKR fans when he hit five consecutive sixes in the final over of Yash Dayal’s bowling in the IPL 2023 campaign. Gradually, he established himself as a leading finisher and was also selected to play for Team India.
So far in his IPL career, the Uttar Pradesh-born player 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 batsman gets a chance to win the IPL trophy in 2024. Ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League, he was also a key part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 victorious team.
Mohammad Kaif suggests KKR to groom Rinku as their leader
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif suggested that KKR management groom Rinku as their future team leader as she got leadership experience with the UP cricket team.
Kaif recently said on this YouTube channel, “KKR should groom Rinku as a future captain. Rinku Singh is an all-format player. Although he is not a 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 batsmen score runs, but their runs lead to wins. So, that boy is ready and captains UP.”
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