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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the T20 squad for the Ireland and England tours and the Asian Games 2026. Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the new captain for three series in place of Suryakumar Yadav. After the announcement of the team, Rinku Singh was dropped from the team and his name is missing from the team.
Rinku Singh has been an integral part of the Men in Blue team in the T20I format for a long time. The southpaw has been a match-winner for the team in the shortest format and was handed the role of a finisher, which he has performed brilliantly. He was part of the T20 World Cup 2026 team, which became champions.
Rinku Singh’s selection was based on the support of politicians
However, after his removal, a shocking thing has come to light from the sources that one of the powerful politicians who had earlier supported Rinku’s inclusion in the T20 setup, no longer has any power. The development has reignited the debate over how elections are conducted behind the scenes. At one time he was even put ahead of Shubman Gill.
However, the report by Cricblogger is only a rumor because every player of the Indian team is selected only on the basis of talent and not on the basis of political support or personal recommendation. According to reports, Rinku is believed to have been included in most of India’s ICC event squads in recent years, despite often being left out of bilateral series.
Rinku Singh’s IPL 2026 and India career
He was also a part of the T20 World Cup 2024 (Reserve), Asia Cup-winning squad and T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Rinku Singh has done well with the bat for the Men in Blue, scoring 665 runs at an average of 39.1 and a strike rate of 155.7, but it has not been enough to get selected this time.
Rinku Singh had a cool start to the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, but the momentum changed in the mid-stage as he scored 295 runs in the tournament with an average of 59.00 and a strike rate of 148.99, but still could not help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) qualify for the playoffs as they finished 8th in the table.
Will Rinku ever play for India again?
According to rumours, Suryakumar Yadav also influenced him to support Rinku in place of Gill. He intervened and made his preference known and the southpaw was included in the 15-man squad for the 2026 T20 Indian squad. Soon after SKY’s exit, the latter also could not find a place in the team.
There are rumors that if Rinku does not get the support of the board officials then it will be difficult for him to make a comeback in the Indian T20 team. Furthermore, India have prioritized finishers in the middle order in the form of fast or spin bowling all-rounders; This is another reason for him being just a special batsman, not getting a place in the team.
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