Asia Cup 2025: Is Rinku Singh no more India's trusted T20I finisher?

India Today

4 hours ago

When Rinku Singh burst onto the scene with a brilliant 574-run IPL season for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2023, it felt like the sky was the limit for the young cricketer from Uttar Pradesh. His breakthrough was swift—earning an India call-up for the Ireland tour the same year—and his early outings in T20Is only reinforced the belief that a long, bright career awaited him in national colours.advertisementYet, the promise has dimmed far too quickly. When Rinku was named only as a travelling reserve for the 2024 T20 World Cup, many questioned why such a consistent performer was sidelined. At that time, it seemed harsh, even unjust, given how little there was to fault in his international record. The belief lingered that his moment would eventually come.But instead of rising further, Rinku's graph has dipped noticeably. Now, just a year later, he isn't even a certainty in India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. And the disappointment is that some of the struggles are of his own making.
The fearless, free-flowing Rinku who lit up stadiums two summers ago has looked out of touch for both India and the Knight Riders, leaving fans to wonder whether the spark that once promised so much is slipping away too soon.Tale of two halvesRinku Singh's T20I career so far can almost be split into two contrasting halves. The first half was a dream run, a golden phase where everything he touched seemed to turn into runs. Until the T20I series against Bangladesh last year, Rinku's numbers were nothing short of phenomenal — 479 runs from 19 innings at an average of 59.87 and a staggering strike-rate of 175.45, with three fifties to his name. At that point, he looked unstoppable, India's next great T20 finisher in the making.But what followed has been a sharp and worrying dip. Since that high, Rinku has struggled to rediscover his rhythm, and the slump has been glaring. In India's last two bilateral T20I series against South Africa and England, he endured a nightmare.Across seven games, the left-hander managed just 67 runs at a meagre average of 13.40, with his strike-rate plummeting to an underwhelming 101.51. The South Africa tour was especially painful to watch — Rinku scraped together only 28 runs at an average of 9.33, striking at a disastrous 82.35.What has gone wrong with a batter who once looked untouchable? Has the pressure of expectations weighed him down, or have bowlers simply figured him out too quickly?advertisementIndia Asia Cup 2025 Squad Announcement: Live UpdatesRinku Singh in T20Is until October 12, 2024Matches: 26, Innings: 19, Not Outs: 11, Runs: 479, Highest Score: 69, Average: 59.87, Strike-rate: 175.45, Hundreds: 0, Fifties: 3Rinku Singh in T20Is from October 13, 2024Matches: 7, Innings: 5, Not Out: 0, Runs: 67, Highest Score: 30, Average: 13.40, Strike-rate: 101.51, Hundreds: 0, Fifties: 0Poor IPL seasons not helping RinkuApart from international cricket, Rinku Singh hasn't really found his spark in the IPL either. What went wrong for one of India's most exciting finishers? In IPL 2024, he endured a nightmare run — just 168 runs at a meagre average of 18.66.The season before wasn't much brighter, with only 206 runs at 29.42. Even more alarming, Rinku hasn't crossed fifty in his last 28 IPL outings.The main contributor behind Rinku's dwindling form is the position that he has batted in. With the IPL allowing for a substitution in their line-up, it has seldom occurred that Rinku has come out to bat at 4 or 5.In only one game in the entirety of IPL 2025, Rinku batted at No. 4. In most of the matches, he batted at No. 6, and sometimes was even demoted to No. 7 and No. 8 positions in the line-up.advertisementIt was only once in IPL 2025 that Rinku played more than 20 balls. That game yielded him results, where he was able to score 36 runs at a strike rate of 144. KKR won that match.The game after that, Rinku once again lit up the crowd with an innings of 19* off 10 balls against Rajasthan Royals, a game that KKR won by just a single run. However, Rinku was dropped to No. 7 and No. 8 right after that.The lack of playtime hurt his confidence in the IPL, something from which he was not able to recover.Rinku Singh's IPL career in brief since 20222025 – Matches: 13, Runs: 206, Avg: 29.42, Highest Score: 38*2024 – Matches: 15, Runs: 168, Avg: 18.66, Highest Score: 262023 – Matches: 14, Runs: 474, Avg: 59.25, Highest Score: 67*2022 – Matches: 7, Runs: 174, Avg: 34.80, Highest Score: 42*Once hailed as India's next great T20 finisher, Rinku Singh now finds himself battling questions of form, confidence, and consistency. The fearless stroke-maker who once thrived under pressure has looked tentative in recent outings, both internationally and in the IPL.Should the selectors take a leap of faith, hoping he can rediscover his spark on a big stage like the Asia Cup? Or would it be wiser to back in-form contenders who offer reliability right now? The decision isn't just about numbers—it's about belief in whether Rinku's best days are still ahead of him.- EndsMust Watch