Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Rinku Singh lights up the tournament with his big hitting ability

He is just 21 but he has already given enough glimpses of his capabilities with the bat. With less than a month to go for the first delivery of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, southpaw Rinku Singh has shown that he is in the right form to make the most during the tournament. Currently playing for Uttar Pradesh in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, Rinku just scored a 37-ball 56 not out; 10-ball 29 not out and 16-ball 52 not out which will give his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) a lot of hope.

Rinku was bought by KKR last year for Rs 80 lakh following an eye-catching performance for UP in the same domestic T20 tournament last year. However, he could not quite repeat the same in the IPL that followed a few months later, scoring just 29 runs in four matches at an average of 7.25.

However, this year Rinku added some more substance to his claim to fame by slamming 953 runs in 10 matches in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy to finish as the third highest scorer. It has revived hopes about the youngster and now with the performance he is having again in Syed Mushtaq Ali, Dinesh Karthik-led KKR will be optimistic that he won’t squander the second chance.

Rinku himself is also aware of the expectations from him in the upcoming IPL.

“After my first IPL season didn’t go well, I know I have a point to prove this year. I feel I am a much-improved player than I used to be last year. Now I am looking for that one opportunity when I go out and show my worth at a big competition like IPL,” the diminutive batsman who averages over 71 in first-class cricket, told India Today.

Rinku thanked KKR academy coach Abhishek Nayar

Rinku thanked KKR academy coach Abhishek Nayar for working on his shortcomings in batting the result of which is being seen in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Nayar is known to have helped established batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Karthik and Robin Uthappa who have also praised the batting coach.

“My morale was down after IPL failure and that’s why I decided to seek the help of Nayar sir during the off-season. I heard how he helped Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik improved their batting that’s why I decided to take his help,” Rinku, who has a strike-rate of 141-plus in T20s, said.

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