Rinku Singh has been seen as a finisher for several years, but he wants to move beyond that role. While he knows he can close out games, he believes he can also thrive as a middle-order batsman if given the chance.
So far, that chance has not come. Both the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Indian team use him primarily as a finisher. During the T20 World Cup 2026, his performance has not hit the mark, scoring just 24 runs in five innings. Meanwhile, opener Abhishek Sharma has also faced scrutiny, scoring 15 runs in four matches. Their circumstances are quite different; Abhishek builds his innings gradually, while Rinku often has to bat under pressure and time constraints.
The team has placed him in tough situations. In the first match of the tournament, Rinku batted at number six, even though Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel could have batted ahead of him with 14 overs remaining. He could not capitalize on that opportunity.
In his following three matches, he came to bat in the 19th or 20th over, needing to score quickly from the start. His performance against Pakistan showed his potential, but it went unnoticed. In the game against South Africa, he had his best chance, coming to bat in the 15th over when India needed 102 runs from 5.4 overs after losing their sixth wicket. The match was slipping away fast.
Ravichandran Ashwin criticized the team’s handling of Rinku. He thinks the management missed a chance to promote him earlier in the match against South Africa.
Rinku could have made a difference, especially against the fast bowlers that dominated the game. The team shifted strategies by bringing in Washington Sundar to replace Axar. Ashwin pointed out that Rinku has excelled in first-class and List A Cricket with an average over 50. His skill set might surpass that of David Miller and Tim David, who primarily excel in white-ball formats. Although Rinku needed just 20 balls to reach a fifty, it likely wouldn’t have impacted the final result as the target was too far out of reach.
Despite this, the team management disagrees they misused him. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate defended Rinku when questioned about his low scores, including a top score of 11 in the tournament. He stated that Rinku hasn’t been given his fair chances.
The South Africa match could have been a good opportunity for Rinku. The Ahmedabad pitch was more suited to his strengths against pace and bounce than against spin bowling. Although it felt like the right moment to give him a chance, India chose another path. Holding back Rinku was a missed opportunity, even though it’s uncertain if his early entry would have guaranteed a win.
