He has been inconsistent in the previous two IPL seasons.
The highs of IPL 2023 meant Rinku Singh broke into India’s T20I side sooner than he would have expected. To his credit, Rinku also churned out standout performances straight away and proved his selection worth. Hence, his exclusion from the 2024 T20 World Cup was shocking, even though the move was understandable at that moment.
However, his recent IPL form was not encouraging, and he could have been on the brink of getting dropped from the Asia Cup 2025. He has been inconsistent in the previous two IPL seasons, and teams have exploited his weaknesses after a dream start. This is the phase every batter goes through, but for Rinku, things can be tricky, given the role he performs.
After a breakthrough season in 2023, Rinku’s superior expertise against pace came to the fore, which was also why he was drafted into the national team. However, this skill meant Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) started using him lower in the order, which has not worked for him. There was a reason why he succeeded in 2023.
During IPL 2023, Rinku batted at No.5 in 35.71% of the innings, scoring 261 runs at an average of 87 and a strike rate of 158.18, including two fifties. But in the next two seasons, he has played only 18.18% of the innings at this position, whereas 72.72% of the total outings have been at No.6 or below. Hence, he averages a mere 23.37 and strikes at 151.41 in 22 innings, without any fifties, since 2024.
Since 2024, his strike rate in the first 10 balls has been 136.84. Even in his breakthrough 2023 year, he struck at a mere 130.65 in this phase. This suggests he might need a few balls to settle and should bat a bit higher, even if his pace game is strong.
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For Rinku, the current phase is arduous, given that several top contenders have been knocking on the door or selected to replace him in T20Is. So, he must show more than power-hitting and make himself flexible enough to bat anywhere. He has the skill set to become a more all-round player, but recent usage by the KKR team management has hindered his progress.
Rinku had a clear weakness against slow bowlers, and teams started to attack him more with spinners lately. For instance, he faced 41.64% of spin bowling in IPL 2023, which increased to 47.36% in the following two seasons. This was when he was demoted in the order and mostly batted at No.6 or below.
In an interview with TOI, Rinku revealed that he has developed a few shots, such as sweeps and reverse sweeps, and has employed them in the ongoing UP T20 League. So, he must bat higher in the order for KKR to understand more about the newly-improved shot selections and develop against spinners. Once he gains enough exposure, he will be confident enough to be flexible when working with the Indian team.
While improvements against spinners remain pivotal, Rinku Singh’s biggest strength will always remain his pace-hitting ability. He is among the few Indian batters who can thwack hard lengths and can’t be cramped for room. So, his importance remains higher than most other batters threatening to take his spot.
The likes of Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Dube have improved against pacers, but they are still nowhere close to what Rinku offers. They might develop more, but if pace-hitting is required, the KKR batter remains a better option. Hence, his value increases more than ever, given Hardik Pandya’s recent struggles against high-end pace bowling.
He needs a cover and can’t do the pace-hitting consistently. Teams have exploited this area severely against Hardik. In the UAE, Hardik’s issues can exacerbate since the tracks often remain slow, and the old ball becomes harder to hit since pacers bowl more slower balls.
Hence, Rinku must play around him and shield him from hard lengths. Among all Indian batters with at least 100 balls against pacers since 2023, he has the second-best strike rate (175.41) and balls-per-boundary ratio (3.75). He has the skills to power off-pace deliveries and has been successful on such tracks before, making him a must-starter in the XI.
