The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will need a new captain for IPL 2027, and Rinku Singh could be the perfect fit for the job. That is not what we are saying; it is what renowned cricket expert-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra feels and believes should be the case. For the record, Ajinkya Rahane, the captain in the previous two editions, announced his retirement from all forms of the game a few months ago, including the IPL. Rahane joined KKR in 2025, replacing title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer and captained the side for two seasons.
KKR are still in search of a new captain, and they can make anyone or buy someone from the mini-auction coming up later in the year. While there are options available, Aakash Chopra has given his verdict, and his choice is Rinku Singh. Rinku Singh, who joined KKR in the 2018 IPL mega auction, has been playing with them from that point. What is also going in his favour is that Rinku recently captained Meerut Mavericks to a title in the recently concluded UP T20 League 2026.
Rinku Singh has captaincy experience- Aakash Chopra
Speaking on his own YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said, “Rinku Singh has captaincy experience. He is slightly underrated, but he is the kind of character you need in a captain. He takes everyone along with him. He is unassuming. He is a match-winner, a performer and a contributor. If you look at all these qualities and then look at his performance as captain in UP T20, you will find that his captaincy does not affect his performance.”Â
Aakash Chopra further added, “He puts the team ahead of himself. That’s another quality he possesses. He is also someone you can put your arm around, talk to, explain things to and have a conversation with. In my humble opinion, I feel KKR should make Rinku Singh their captain.”Â
Rinku Singh’s Journey With KKR So Far
Rinku Singh joined the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2018 IPL mega-auction, and in that particular season, he managed to play 4 matches. In IPL 2019, he went one better and played in 5 matches for the Knights. The southpaw, in the IPL 2020 season, which was affected by COVID-19, played only a solitary game for KKR, and what made it worse was that he remained totally on the bench in IPL 2021. He managed to play only 7 matches in IPL 2022.
But he was not to be left behind, as Rinku Singh shot to fame soon after he hit Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes in the final-over thriller against the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. KKR needed 29 off 6 balls, and on the first ball of the over, Umesh Yadav took a single to give Rinku the strike, and the left-hander smashed Dayal for five sixes in a row to steal the match for KKR. These heroics earned him a maiden India call-up as well.
Rinku Singh has scored 702 runs in 48 T20Is. He was a member of the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning team under Suryakumar Yadav. Rinku, it must be recalled, famously hit a boundary in the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan to help India win the game in the final over. Notably, he faced just one ball in the entire tournament and played only the grand final.
It remains to be seen what KKR decides and whether they make Rinku the captain. With the Hardik Pandya trade unlikely to happen with the Mumbai Indians, it is an opportunity for KKR to invest in Rinku, who has been with the franchise for the last 8 seasons, rather than go with someone who is an outsider. Rinku has shown he has a good head on his shoulders. Winning the UP League is a testament to it. But KKR are known to have big, fancy names and not someone who is as simple as Rinku. So, only time will tell who will be the next IPL captain for KKR.
Let’s see how things unfold for KKR and Rinku Singh in the days and months to come.
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