Rinku Singh has strengthened his credentials to become KKR's next captain after leading Meerut Mavericks to the UPT20 League title. Meerut defeated Lucknow Falcons by 94 runs in the final.
KKR themselves have added an intriguing layer to the captaincy discussion. Shortly after Meerut's title triumph, the franchise posted a video featuring the caption “Captain Rinku. Champion Rinku.”.
Rinku already has a leadership connection with KKR, having served as the franchise's vice-captain in IPL 2026. With Ajinkya Rahane now retired from professional cricket, the captaincy position is potentially open.
Rinku Singh stamped his authority to become the next Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain after he led Meerut Mavericks to a title victory in UPT20 League 2026 on Sunday (September 6) in Lucknow. Under his leadership, the Mavericks defeated Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s Lucknow Falcons by 94 runs at Ekana Stadium to lift the trophy.
Meanwhile, KKR also acknowledged Rinku's success and tweeted a video on the social media platform, captioned, "Captain Rinku. Champion Rinku." This single tweet has made his contention for the role more intriguing, as we wait for next IPL season to begin.
The Mavericks had a run fest in the grand finale, piling up 203/7 in 20 overs. Although Rinku couldn’t leave an impact with the bat, his leadership in the state T20 championship strengthened his case as KKR’s next leader.
In the 2026 UPT20 League, Rinku led Meerut Mavericks in 10 matches and managed nine victories as captain. His team finished on the top of the points table with 15 points in the group stage of the tournament.
With Rahane retired from all forms of professional cricket, it could be a fair chance for Rinku who has been a pivotal cog in the KKR set-up. Rahane led the side in past couple of seasons but failed to qualify for the playoffs. The men in purple and gold finished 8th on the IPL 2025 points table. They were placed 7th in 2026.
Rinku, who has been a part of KKR since 2018, has played the finisher’s role on multiple occasions. He has scored 1394 runs in 73 matches at a strike rate of 145.96. He has 6 fifties to his credit so far and has also served as the KKR vice-captain in IPL 2026.
IPL 2023 season, it was also during this season that he became a household name after hitting Gujarat Titans pacer Yash Dayal for five sixes in the last five balls of a match to secure a memorable victory for his team at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rinku Fails But Meerut Become Champion
Rinku failed to leave an impact with the bat and got out after scoring just one run off two balls as a No. 5 batter. Despite his forgettable outing, Meerut posted a big total of 203/7 in 20 overs, with opening batter Divyansh Joshi smashing a 40-ball 105. The target of 204 proved too much for the Lucknow Falcons as they were bowled out for 109 in 16 overs, handing the Mavericks a 94-run win.
