On Sunday evening, a boy from Aligarh unleashed such a display of his talent at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that his name became the talk of the whole country. The target was 29 runs from the last 6 balls, almost impossible, but a name shone right there and now on everyone’s lips… Rinku Singh. Rinku hit 5 sixes on 5 consecutive balls and led Kolkata Knight Riders to victory.
He not only gave them the win but also broke many records. No player had hit 5 consecutive sixes in the 20th over of a T20 league or international cricket match before Rinku. He also set the record for the most runs scored in the last over to win a match by making 29 runs. Prior to this, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had scored 23 runs in the 20th over and led Chennai to victory.
Kolkata had bought Rinku for 80 lakh rupees, but Rinku was hoping to receive only 20 lakhs. Even that amount was sufficient for them because their family was poor. Today, Rinku is one of the most famous stars in the IPL, but there was a time when they used to deliver gas cylinders. The financial situation was so tight that they even had to resort to cleaning with brooms and mops.
Early Life and life Story
In an interview, Rinku talked about their life, “There are five brothers in the family. Dad used to deliver gas cylinders. We brothers used to work when no one else was available and even beat people with sticks when necessary. We used to keep two cylinders on our bike and deliver them to hotels and houses. Everyone supported Dad, and whenever there was a match, all the brothers used to play together.” There were 6-7 boys in the neighborhood who used to play ball by pooling money. They started playing cricket with tennis and leather balls. They also played cricket at Modern School in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. In an inter-school tournament, they played an unbeaten innings of 54 runs on 32 balls.
At the beginning, there was no money to play club cricket, so they used to practice at the government stadium by getting a card. Money was needed to play matches, and when they asked their families, they were told to focus on studies.
My father always discouraged me from playing, while my mother supported me a little. There was a tournament near the city, and we needed money for it. My mother borrowed a thousand rupees from the shop.
In an interview, Rinku said, “I had thought of buying it for 20 lakhs, but it was bought for 80 lakhs. The first thing that came to my mind was that I would be able to help my elder brother in his wedding. I will also save some money for my sister’s wedding and shift to a good house. Three years ago, our family had a debt of 5 lakhs. We were having difficulty paying it off. This was beyond our control.
I have failed my ninth grade. I know that cricket is my only chance. When I used to play for the Under-19 team of UP, the representation money I used to get was used to pay off the debt. Two years ago, I had a chance to play for India Under-19, but I couldn’t play in the Under-19 World Cup. Seeing the difficulties of my family, I had to focus entirely on cricket.”
“I have struggled a lot in life, it seems like God is repaying me for those days. – Rinku Singh”
Rinku said, “My family started trusting me when I won the Man of the Series title in a tournament in Delhi and got a motorcycle as a prize. Soon, I started doing cylinder deliveries with it. Relatives suggested working with my brother. I asked my brother to find me a job somewhere. He got me a job as a sweeper in coaching. I refused as I knew cricket was everything to me. I focused solely on the game from thereon. Cricket was my only option.”
The coach helped, the first kit was given by someone else…
Rinku said, “When I started playing well in my childhood, I began to get opportunities in other teams. I didn’t even have to spend any money, Coach Masood Ameen Sir also supported me well. Mohammad Jishan Bhaiya gave me a cricket kit. I gave trials for the UP State Under-16 team in 2010-11, but was eliminated in the first round. In 2012, I was selected for the Under-16 team for the first time and scored 154 runs in the first match itself. After being selected for the Under-19 team, I also made my debut in the Ranji Trophy. From there, I started playing in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophies. He said, “I was being noticed because of domestic cricket. In 2021, Punjab Kings bought me, but I spent the whole season on the bench. After that, Mumbai Indians called me for selection trials. I scored 91 runs off 31 balls there. I thought I had made an impact. I was doing well in domestic cricket.”
Suspension
On 30 May 2019, Singh was given a three-month suspension by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after he took part in the Ramadan T20 Tournament in Abu Dhabi without seeking prior permission to play
Indian Premier League Carrear
In February 2017, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab team for the 2017 Indian Premier League. In January 2018, he was bought with the worth of 80 lakh by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 IPL auction.
Rinku was ruled out of the 2021 Indian Premier League due to a knee injury and he was later replaced by Gurkeerat Singh Mann. In February 2022, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament. In this year’s tournament match, he got his first Man of the Match award with a cheque of one lakh for 42 runs in 23 balls with a strike-rate of 182.61 against Rajasthan Royals.
On 9 April 2023, Rinku achieved a record-breaking feat in an IPL match against Gujarat Titans, smashing 5 sixes in the final over to successfully chase down 29 runs – the highest-ever chase in the last over in the tournament’s history.
