Rinku Singh’s Father Passes Away: BCCI Secretary Confirms Player Out Of India Vs West Indies, Heads To New Delhi

Rinku Singh’s father, Khanchand Singh, passed away following a prolonged battle with liver cancer. The left-handed batter left Chennai at 5:00 am on Friday to rush to New Delhi and is now believed to be on his way to his hometown Aligarh for the last rites.

According to IANS, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Devajit Saikia, confirmed Rinku’s departure and that he will not travel with the team to Kolkata for their upcoming Super Eights clash against the West Indies on Sunday.

Khanchand Singh had been battling stage-four liver cancer for a long time, and his condition deteriorated sharply in the past few days. Rinku had to leave the World Cup campaign midway to be with his father in Noida.

Saikia said, "I would express my deepest condolences on behalf of BCCI to Rinku Singh and his whole family at this hour of crisis. He left for Delhi from Chennai at 5 am to rush to the hospital in Greater Noida, where his father was undergoing treatment."

"So, he will not be travelling with the Indian team to Kolkata in the flight scheduled for this afternoon. Once we get any updated information on Rinku, we’ll let you know,” Saikia added.

Khanchand had been admitted to Yatharth Hospital on February 21 after his health worsened and was placed on ventilator support. Rinku had previously been by his father’s side during this critical period but rejoined the squad ahead of India’s match against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

He did not feature in the playing eleven, with Sanju Samson opening the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma, though he participated as a substitute fielder.

India face the West Indies in a virtual knockout clash on Sunday, with a semi-final spot at stake. The winner will advance to meet South Africa in the Group 1 semi-finals.

It promises to be a challenging phase for the team, as they aim to regroup after recent setbacks and handle the pressure of a high-stakes encounter.