Mumbai, March 25: The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), three-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), have appointed Rinku Singh as their vice-captain for the 2026 season. The 28-year-old Rinku brings valuable experience from domestic cricket and his previous IPL captaincy.
Under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, KKR will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on March 29 against the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Their first home match is scheduled for April 2 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where they will face the 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad. Following that, KKR will play against Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 6 and 9, respectively.
Rinku Singh has been a key player for KKR, known for his explosive batting and exceptional fielding. Over his IPL career, he has played 59 matches, scoring 1,099 runs at an average of 30.52. KKR’s CEO, Venky Mysore, expressed excitement about Rinku’s new role, stating, “We are delighted to announce that Rinku Singh will be the vice-captain of the team. He joined KKR in 2018 and has been a consistent part of the squad since then.”
KKR is currently conducting trials to select players to fill in for injured fast bowler Harshit Rana during their pre-season camp. Players like Navdeep Saini, Akash Madhwal, Simarjeet Singh, Sandeep Warrier, KM Asif, and Sunil Kumar are participating in these trials to secure spots in the KKR lineup.
Previously, KKR replaced Indian fast bowler Akash Deep with Vidarbha’s Saurabh Dubey after Akash was ruled out of the tournament due to a lower back injury (stress reaction). Saurabh Dubey was acquired by the 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, for IPL 2022, but his journey was cut short due to a back injury.
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