NB In List | Who is Rinku Singh, whose journey began from mopping floor to playing one of the best knocks in IPL history

Who is Rinku Singh, who was not known until his heroics were showcased in the IPL match of GT vs KKR but became a popular name now? KKR needed 29 runs to win the last over, and he smashed five consecutive sixes to make his side win the match. It was not an out-of-nowhere performance but a result of years of hard work.

 

 

With poor fiancial conditions, his parents wanted him to study as his father Khanchandra used to work as a LPG cylinder delivery man in Aligarh and had a meagre income of 6-7 thousand rupees per month. Rinku's brother Mukul worked at the local coaching centre and the other sibling Sonu worked as an autorickshaw driver.

 

 

And, the family lived in a two room house, in a godown of an Indian Oil company near the Maharani Ahilyabhai Holkar Stadium. However, he dropped out of the school when he was in ninth standard.

 

 

Then, he was asked to do a job. He got a job of sweeping and mopping in a coaching centre but he didn't like the idea and refused to do it. So, with the help of coaches and his friends, he started to pursue cricket seriously.

 

He took the U-16 trials in 2010-11 but it was in 2012 when thing looked great for him. He took off from U-19 and then got selected for Ranji Trophy.

 

 

As Rinku was already doing well in his domestic cricket, his IPL moment for him came in 2017, when he was bagged by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) at a price of Rs 10 lakh. But Rinku remained on the bench that season. In 2018, he was roped in by KKR at Rs 80 lakh but he played only four matches. Rinku would mostly be in the side as substitute player or for bringing in drinks.

 

The next three years were not great either as Rinku couldn’t deliver in the few matches he played. But the management kept on retaining him until 2022. And in 2022, Rinku's 23-ball 42 helped KKR win against Rajasthan Royals.

 

After hitting five sixes against Gujarat Titans, Rinku Singh said: "I come from a farmer’s family. My father struggled a lot. Every ball that I hit out of the ground was dedicated to the people who sacrificed so much for me,” Rinku Singh said.