With five straight losses in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, the onus was on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to break the resilience of the in-form Rajasthan Royals (RR). Having restricted the team to just 152, the KKR top-order failed yet again when the diminutive Rinku Singh was promoted up the order to prove his mettle. And the 24-year-old did it with style.
His unbeaten 42 off 23 balls set up a match-winning partnership with Nitish Rana to lead his team to victory. It was his third-straight match of the season, and although his contributions were telling in the previous games, this was the first time he had led the side to a win.
However, his road to this stage of the IPL was not an easy one. His family was in debt three years ago, and struggling to pay it back. Given that Rinku wasn’t academically good – 'Ninth fail' he said, he knew his only chance lay in cricket. He was bought by KKR for Rs 80 lakhs after a bidding war with Mumbai Indians (MI), who also wanted the then 20-year-old. When the two franchises fought for his services, Rinku was at his home, watching the dream unfold live on the TV.
“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 my mind was that I can contribute to my big brother’s wedding, and save up something for my sister’s wedding too. Aur ek achhe se ghar mein shift ho jaoonga (And we can move in a good house too),” Rinku said in an interview with Indian Express.
"Father used to earn some Rs 6-7 thousand monthly, as was the elder brother. My family is a bit big and I had no option other than to focus hard on cricket. Life mein struggle bahut kiya, maybe God is repaying for those days,” he added.
Rinku’s father Khanchandra delivers LPG cylinders to homes, and one of his elder brothers drives an autorickshaw while another brother works in a coaching centre. It’s the perfect rags to riches story in the IPL. He saved up his modest allowances which came from cricket and all of it went into repaying the debts.
Rinku won the confidence of his family when he won a motorcycle after bagging the man-of-the-series award in a tournament in Delhi. The motorcycle was gifted to his father to deliver his cylinders across Aligarh.
In nine Ranji Trophy games, Rinku has 692 runs at an average of 49. He shot to the limelight when Mumbai Indians (MI) called him for a selection trial where he slammed a 31-ball 91 runs. However, he ended up with KKR and has been with the Kolkata outfit ever since, playing 10 matches for them prior to the 2022 season.
Recalling his entry into the IPL, Rinku said, “I think that knock made an impact. My domestic season had gone fine and I was hoping that someone might take me but never thought I will go for such huge money. Mere khaandan mein itna paisa kisene bhi nahi dekha hai (No one in my clan has seen so much money)."
