KKR’s newest recruit Rinku Singh hopes to emulate idol Suresh Raina in upcoming IPL season

03/23/2018

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Left-handed batsman Rinku Singh, Kolkata Knight Riders new recruit for the 2018 IPL season, is looking forward to replicating the performance of his role-model Suresh Raina in the tournament. Singh was picked up for a sum of Rs. 80 lakhs after a bidding war between KKR and the Mumbai Indians.

The Indian Premier League has been full of stories of small-town players making a name for themselves on the big stage banking on their raw talent. Players like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar have all been a product of the famed setup, which helped them catch the eye of national selectors.

Rinku Singh, a 20-year old lad from the town of Aligarh, could be another name to be added to that list if he would manage to prove himself against the best in the world. Singh, who has always looked up to Raina as his idol, is optimistic about his prospects ahead of the league that is scheduled to begin next month.

His impressive display on the domestic circuit saw the youngster getting picked for Rs 80 lakh by KKR, which was four times' higher than his base. The player saw his bidding war between KKR and MI from an LPG company's godown where his father works as a delivery man, and got the biggest surprise of his life when Raina sent him a congratulatory message.

'bindaas khelna, jyada pressure mat lena', (play freely without taking any pressure). It was special for me.I never thought I will get Rs 80 lakh, I thought I would get about Rs 30-35 lakh," it read.

The 20-year-old next received a pair of gloves and bat that was gifted by Raina during their first encounter ahead of the youngster’s domestic debut.

"He made a surprise visit to my room which I was sharing with Ali Murtaza. I was awe-struck and could hardly utter anything. There's a lot to learn from IPL. I've learnt a lot of shots, and I always followed Raina bhai. He's my idol. It was a dream moment to meet him ahead of my debut," Singh revealed.

"Before I could speak about myself, my room partner told him that I consider him as his idol. I told him I am also a left-handed batsman. He soon gifted me the bat and gloves," Singh added.

Singh, who scored 91 off 31 balls, in his trial for the Mumbai Indians franchise is geared up for the upcoming IPL as he asserted that preparation is on track for the KKR team.

"I'm the first from Aligarh to play for IPL. The cricket craze has now increased. Those who did not practice are taking the sport seriously now, The preparation is going great guns. I'm practising well, and I know most of the U-19 players, all are good friends. I try to back myself and play freely under a pressure situation," Singh said.

KKR’s newest recruit Rinku Singh hopes to emulate idol Suresh Raina in upcoming IPL season

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