Rinku Singh made a strong case for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captaincy after leading his team, Meerut Mavericks, to the UP T20 League 2026 title.
The 28-year-old from Aligarh guided his side to a commanding 94-run victory over Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Lucknow Falcons in the final at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.
Although the Mavericks had previously won titles in 2024 and 2025, this was Singh’s first season as captain. Under his leadership, the team won nine of their 10 matches in the tournament. Having missed out on India’s squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan, Singh used the opportunity to sharpen his leadership skills.
The position for KKR captaincy has remained vacant since Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from cricket a few months ago.
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina urged the KKR management to look into Singh and consider him for the captaincy in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. “Firstly, congratulations to Captain Rinku Singh. This is the fourth season of the UP T20 League, and they are playing in the fourth final,” Raina told broadcasters on the sidelines of the UPT20 final.
“KKR is looking for a captain, but I think the franchise has finally gotten its captain. Invest a little in him, give him some matches, and you never know,” added Raina, who hung up his boots in 2020. Although Hardik Pandya is a favourite for the top role, nothing concrete has emerged yet.
Rinku Singh’s performance at UP T20 2026
Although Singh failed to make a mark in the final, the left-hander sent out a signal to the BCCI selectors by finishing in the top 10 in the list of most runs in the 2026 season. In 10 games, Singh scored 241 runs at a strike rate of 169.72 and an average of 62.00.
Singh’s association with KKR dates back to 2018. Since then, KKR have been his home in IPL. While he didn’t get consistent chances in his first five years, the southpaw finally blossomed at the big stage against the Gujarat Titans when he smashed Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes in the final over of a match in the IPL 2023 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Since then, there was no looking back for him as he became a must-have in the playing XI. So far, he has played 73 matches for KKR and accumulated 1,394 runs. In the IPL 2026 season, Singh finished as KKR’s leading run-scorer. It was after playing for KKR that he made his India debut.