"VAN" (Sports Desk - 19.09.2025) :: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh has credited the franchise for standing firmly by his side during some of the most challenging moments of his career, particularly when he suffered a serious knee injury in 2021.
In a recent podcast with Raj Shamani, Rinku opened up about the incident and the support he received from KKR. He said, "KKR backed me at my worst. There was a time I was fearing the worst after my knee injury in 2021. I was batting against Railways, wearing new shoes and spikes. I tapped my bat for a quick double and instantly heard a crack—I just fell to the ground."
The Uttar Pradesh batter admitted that his immediate concern was the IPL. "My first thought was about being ruled out. At that time, my contract was worth Rs 80 lakh, and in those circumstances, that money was important to me. An MRI revealed it was a meniscus tear," he said.
Rinku underwent surgery and spent nearly four months in rehab before returning to domestic cricket. His performances there put him back in the mix at the TATA IPL Auction. "Even though I did well in the domestic circuit, I wasn’t sure if I would be picked again. That year, both KKR and LSG were bidding for me, and eventually, KKR bought me for Rs 55 lakh. That’s when I felt I had another chance to prove myself," he said.
That faith paid off in spectacular fashion in 2023, when Rinku etched his name into IPL folklore by smashing five consecutive sixes in the final over against Gujarat Titans. With KKR needing 29 runs from six balls, Rinku’s audacious hitting off Yash Dayal turned an improbable chase into reality, cementing his place in cricketing history.
Looking back on that night, Rinku admitted he hadn’t started fluently. "We were cruising thanks to Venky bhai (Venkatesh Iyer) and Rana bhai (Nitish Rana), but suddenly we lost wickets in a cluster and I had to go in. Honestly, I was struggling. I had only scored 8 runs off 14 balls and the ball just wasn’t connecting," he said.
Everything changed in the last over. "Umesh bhai (Umesh Yadav) gave me the strike on the first ball. I was in my own element then—I hit the first six, then the second, then the third. If you watch the highlights, you’ll see my body language wasn’t the best, but once I looked at the scoreboard and realised we needed 10 runs off 2 balls, I thought, this is possible," Rinku shared.
He went on: "I hit the next one out of the park, and when I connected with the last ball, I started celebrating even before it crossed the ropes. Rana bhai was already running towards me. In that moment, I felt like all my hard work had paid off. Suddenly, everyone was following me on Instagram and recognising me. In the blink of an eye, everything changed."
Since joining KKR in 2018, Rinku Singh has become an integral part of the setup, representing the franchise in 59 matches and scoring 1,099 runs. He also played a crucial role in their third TATA IPL title win in 2024, evolving from a promising youngster into one of the team’s most reliable match-winners.
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