Drop Rinku Singh at number-4, Ashwin told KKR about his address
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Rinku Singh IPL 2026: Former Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has talked about giving promotion to Rinku Singh in batting. Ashwin has suggested to Kolkata Knight Riders that now they should give big responsibility to Rinku Singh and send him to number-4. Ashwin also told how he can benefit the team by coming to this batting position.
Rinku Singh will get batting promotion?
New Delhi. Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Kolkata Knight Riders should now look at Rinku Singh not just as a 'finisher' but as a main batsman. Ashwin has suggested that Rinku should be promoted to bat at number 4 in IPL 2026. Kolkata Knight Riders team will play in the upcoming season with the intention of winning the IPL title for the third and fourth time. If this team captained by Ajinkya Rahane has to win the tournament, then Rinku Singh is going to play a big role. Rinku Singh is a batsman who can change the course of a match in a few balls. The match between Gujarat Titans and KKR in 2023 is a witness to this, where Rinku gave her team a seemingly impossible victory by hitting 5 sixes in the last over.
Ashwin's advice
Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, while giving special advice to KKR on his YouTube channel 'Aish Ki Baat', said that Rinku Singh has the ability to play long innings, hence he should be sent at number-4 in the batting order. Ashwin says that saving Rinku only for the last 1-2 overs is not justice to his talent. If Rinku comes to the crease after the powerplay and lasts for 4-5 overs, then he can dominate the bowlers badly. Ashwin also reminded that Rinku scores big centuries for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket (Ranji Trophy), which means he has the understanding to weave long innings.
Rinku Singh will get batting promotion?
KKR team will take the field this season with many big changes. After Andre Russell's retirement and Venkatesh Iyer's departure from the team, this is the right opportunity for KKR to revamp its batting order. Last year (IPL 2025) was not as per expectations for Rinku Singh. This brilliant batsman, who scored 474 runs while batting brilliantly, scored only 206 runs in the 13 matches played last season. This happened because his batting order was not fixed. He was sent to bat at lower positions like number-7 and number-8, where he could not spend long time at the crease. Rinku's performance also remained lackluster in the recently held T20 World Cup 2026, where he could score only 24 runs in 5 matches.
