Rinku Singh, batter of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has spoken up about his connection with franchise captain Nitish Rana. The two players scored the most runs for KKR, who placed eighth in the IPL 2023 points table after another average season.
Rinku led the KKR in run scoring this season with 474. The left-handed batter delivered under pressure multiple times throughout his middle-order innings.
Rinku Singh described Nitish Rana as a big brother and praised his leadership in IPL 2023 in an interview with News 18:
“Before being a captain, he is like bade bhaiyaa. We share a great bonding. I’ve been playing with him for 6-7 years and I was happy for him as he became the captain. Being the KKR captain is a big thing. He led the team very team and backed me throughout. Everything was superb.”
Rinku Singh also mentioned KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit. The former India player and renowned coach on the domestic circuit took charge of the KKR side following Brendon McCullum’s departure.
Rinku described the new experience under Pandit as good although conceding that he has an old-school mentality.
“I don’t think he knew me from before. But it was a good experience with him. He has an old-school style of coaching. Like the way I started playing cricket in my childhood, his process too was no different. The drills he made us follow were familiar. Rest, he likes his players to be disciplined. It’s a must if you are training under him.”
Pandit’s first IPL season did not result in KKR qualifying for the playoffs. The two-time champions won six matches and lost eight, finishing with 12 points.
“I try to keep myself calm as much as possible” – Rinku Singh on the key to success under pressure in the death overs
Rinku Singh’s knock against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022 demonstrated his capacity to produce under pressure as well as finish games.
The uncapped youngster demonstrated more of the same in the recently finished season, scoring key runs in run chases to help the team to victories over the Gujarat Titans (GT), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Rinku stated how he maintains his composure in such high-pressure situations:
“I try to keep myself calm as much as possible. And when I’m batting in the last over, I keep my mind away from any kind of thoughts. Just be calm and play the ball to its merit, that’s all I think about in those circumstances.”
The left-handed batter’s five straight sixes to lead KKR to a last-ball victory against GT will go down as one of the competition’s most legendary moments.
He revealed how much the particular cameo has changed his life in terms of attention and appreciation:
“People are recognizing me now. They have given me a lot of love and respect. It makes me proud when fans keep shouting my name. That’s when you realise that you have made a name for yourself. People out there know you now.”
Rinku scored 474 runs with a strike rate of 149.52 in 14 IPL 2023 games.