For years now, Rinku Singh has been labelled as a finisher. On plenty of occasions, the batter has tried to discredit the tag attached to him. He admits he’s a finisher but can bat in the middle order if granted the opportunity.
However, that hasn’t been the case. The Kolkata Knight Riders and Team India have earmarked him as their finisher. For the latter, he has been performing that role in the T20 World Cup 2026. But not too successfully. While all the eyes are on opener Abhishek Sharma, who’s scored 15 runs in 4 matches, Rinku too has just 24 runs in 5 innings. But his case is slightly different. Abhishek gets to set the terms; Rinku has to follow them.
Extreme usage
He’s been used at two ends of extremes. In the T20 World Cup 2026 opener, for reasons unknown, Rinku was sent to bat at number six ahead of Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. 14 overs were left. He couldn’t cash in on the opportunity.
In the next 3 matches, Rinku either came in the 19th or 20th over. Now, he had to hit from the get-go. Even a good cameo against Pakistan didn’t register. Against South Africa, he entered the middle in the 15th over. In normal circumstances, it would’ve been ideal. The issue was that India was 6 down and needed 102 runs in 5.4 overs. The game was done.
Rinku Singh in T20 World Cup 2026
MatchScoreEntryPointMatchSituationUSA 6 (14)46/4 in 6 oversBatting firston tricky pitchNamibia1 (6)205/5 in 18.2 oversBatting first& looking to finishPakistan11 (4)*159/5 in 18.5 oversBatting first& looking to finishNetherlands6 (3)*186/5 in 19.2 oversBatting first& looking to finishSouth Africa0 (2)86/6 in 14.1 oversBatting second& chasing 188Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin thinks India often misuses Rinku, and by not sending him earlier against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir missed the trick.
“If you have eight batters and one of them is Rinku Singh, he cannot be coming in at eight. No disrespect to Sundar. He is a fabulous batter. We know his batting skills. I would have loved to see Rinku Singh walking in at five,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
On a pitch where fast bowlers were dictating, Rinku should’ve been sent since he’s a known hitter of pace. The right-left combination would’ve continued. But the management chose to send in Washington Sundar, who had been picked ahead of Axar.
Ashwin doesn’t understand why Rinku was held back. Unlike Washington, he’s a proper batter. Someone who averages over 50 in first-class and List A cricket. He isn’t like David Miller or Tim David, batters who are just white-ball players. By the time Rinku came in, India was so far behind that even a 20-ball fifty wouldn’t have saved the game.
“I think they were looking at Washi as a like-for-like replacement for Axar. But experience counts for something – someone who has been there and done it. Axar has been there, handled pressure, and done it. Number five in such a high-pressure game was too much to ask of Washi. Rinku was at eight, and the game was already done. There was no use of his coming and batting there,” Ashwin added.
Missed opportunity
Now, the management doesn’t think Rinku was misused. Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was asked about Rinku’s performance, since his highest score in the T20 World Cup is just 11. But Ryan defended Rinku, stating that he hasn’t had the best opportunities.
“Rinku, I think that the number 7 or 8 position has become incredibly tough in T20 cricket. You look at where he walked in against Namibia – he had to turn down singles three or four times, so yes, it may look like he scored just two or eight balls. And then he comes in during a pretty hopeless situation again tonight, and he opts to go for the boundary to get us as close as possible. On a wicket that holds a bit, that can happen. So he hasn’t had the best opportunities, but that’s the nature of the position,” Ryan ten Doeschate said.
The funny thing is that the South Africa match was the opportunity. Everyone knows Rinku has a disadvantage facing spin, but it was pace that was dominant in Ahmedabad. It was the perfect time to promote him, but India missed the trick. One can’t say that India would’ve won if Rinku had been promoted. But by not sending him, India just didn’t utilise the resource they had at their disposal.
Not dropping Axar Patel, Washington Sundar at 5 over Rinku Singh biggest reason behind IND vs SA defeat? Inside Sport India.
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