IPL 2026 | Rinku Singh named KKR vice-captain, franchise signals future leadership shift

Kolkata: Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday appointed explosive batter Rinku Singh as their vice-captain for IPL 2026, underlining the franchise’s long-term leadership plans.

Rinku will assist skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who has been retained as captain despite KKR’s disappointing IPL 2025 campaign.

“Rinku Singh will work very closely with skipper Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said during the team’s ‘Knights Unplugged 3.0’ event here.

Backing the decision, head coach Abhishek Nayar said Rinku’s evolution within the set-up made him a natural choice for a leadership role.

“I’ve seen him evolve as a leader over the years. He’s someone the team always looks forward to, so we wanted to give him a little bit more responsibility. I feel it’s the perfect time after winning the T20 World Cup,” Nayar said.

Rinku’s rise has been one of the most remarkable stories in IPL history, from being picked for Rs 80 lakh in 2018 to being retained for Rs 13 crore ahead of IPL 2025.

He shot to fame after smashing five consecutive sixes in a last-over chase, a feat that fast-tracked his India call-up and cemented his reputation as one of the league’s premier finishers.

Both Rahane and Rinku were called on stage together, with the latter drawing the loudest cheers from the crowd, many even chanting “captain kore dao Rinku (make Rinku the captain)”, reflecting his immense popularity.

Barring the injured trio of Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana and Akash Deep — the latter ruled out of the season — the entire squad was present along with the support staff.

The team will leave for Mumbai on Wednesday for the opening match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29.

Left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey, who has been named as Akash Deep’s replacement, was the first player to be introduced on stage.

Rahane, 37, had topped KKR’s scoring charts last season with 390 runs but could not prevent the team from finishing eighth with just five wins in 14 matches (two abandoned) during their title defence -- their worst showing since 2009.

KKR head into IPL 2026 with a significantly revamped batting unit after parting ways with stalwarts Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer, while making a record Rs 25.20 crore bid for Cameron Green.

The squad now boasts explosive options such as Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, alongside Sunil Narine at the top.

Rahane might not be a range-hitter that the modern T20 game demands, but the appointment of Rinku as his deputy suggests a clear succession plan.

Addressing questions around pressure following last season’s flop show, Rahane struck a composed note.

“Every year, there are different challenges as a player and also as a captain. What I learned throughout my journey is to be positive each and every time, whatever challenges are there,” he had said during KKR’s first media interaction last week.

“My mindset has always been like that throughout my career, that if I see any challenges or particular, if something difficult is, I look at it in a positive way and try to give my best as a player and also as a captain,” he added.