Rinku Singh becomes the vice-captain of KKR, the team announced just before IPL 2026

New Delhi. Kolkata Knight Riders have announced their new vice-captain before the start of IPL 2026. Explosive Indian batsman Rinku Singh has been made the deputy of captain Ajinkya Rahane. KKR made this announcement during the team's 'Knights Unplugged' event held on Tuesday. The franchise also made a post on social media, in which it was written, 'A new chapter of God's plan.' Recently, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif had told KKR to groom Rinku as the future captain.

KKR head coach Abhishek Nair explained the reason behind the decision to make Rinku Singh the vice-captain of the team. Abhishek Nair told, 'He has been working with Rinku since he first became a part of KKR's support staff. Now seeing Rinku reach this position as a head coach is very special for him. Nair said, 'In the last few years, Rinku has not only become an excellent cricketer but has also developed leadership qualities. Apart from his performance on the field, off the field also the entire team looks at him as a reliable player.

The coach said that Rinku is a tremendous 'power-hitter' and now that he has also become a World Cup champion, it is the right time to give him additional responsibility. The management believes that this role of vice-captain will help Rinku to move forward and lead the entire team. Let us tell you that after the IPL 2026 auction, it was believed that Rinku could be made the captain of the team, but it did not happen. However, from the decisions taken now, it is clear that KKR management has a concrete plan ready to hand over the responsibility of captaincy to him. Rinku seems to be the most perfect choice for captaincy, because he has been associated with this franchise since 2018.

He has played 59 matches for KKR so far, in which he has scored 1099 runs at an average of 30. His best score has been 67 runs. Till now he was seen as a 'finisher' in the team, but this time it is expected that he will bat at number 4 or number 5. Rinku was consistently performing well in domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, but he came into the eyes of the whole world in 2023. He became a superstar overnight after hitting 5 sixes in the last over against Gujarat Titans to seal an impossible win. Since then the franchise has retained him every time.