Rinku Singh: From Sweeper to IPL Star

Many young players have flourished brilliantly in the league, while some failed to make any impact. Many cricketers have turned their fortunes with their outstanding performance and talent. Some of them came from a very frugal background and became league stars. An excellent example of a player who has risen from absolutely nothing is the Kolkatta Knight Riders batsman Rinku Singh. The batter came from a very poor background and has seen many hardships before becoming a cricketer. Let us look at this star's inspiring journey, which started as a sweeper and ultimately ended up in the world's biggest T20 league.

Hardships over hardships!

Rinku Singh belonged to a very low-income family from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He didn't have money to buy his cricket kit during his early days. His coach helped him a lot, from finance to cricket. He got admission into Delhi Public School in sports quota. He improved his game and learnt many things. However, he failed in 9th grade. There was a time when his father had to take on debt, and the Singh family was drowning in poverty. However, the aspiring cricketer didn't lose his hope in cricket and kept grinding himself in the hard times. Even during the most challenging phase of life, he didn't stop training. He even used to practise 14 hours a day, and all the tough times he faced made young Rinku stronger. 

Growing up in a family with very limited resources Rinku had to do something for the family. His father, Khanchand Singh, delivered LPG cylinders from an LPG gas agency, although this wasn't enough to make ends meet. Rinku's brother got him a sweeper and cleaner job. To fight the family's collapsing situation, he had to take up the job. His family was in debt, and the future seemed bleak. His family was drowning in poverty; however, Rinku tried his best. His perseverance for the game, as well as his family, was immeasurable. He faced immense challenges when he started playing cricket, but his zeal and love for the game kept him going. He won many awards including a motorbike for being the best player at a tournament which he gave to his father for distributing gas cylinders. Young Rinku's brilliance gradually spread all around his area, and he was being called Jr. Raina amongst his teammates. It was Suresh Raina who inspired Rinku and kindled the flame in him. 

The league which was going to change Rinku's fate!

While things were financially going down for Rinku, a ray of hope for his cricket career rose. Kings XI Punjab signed him in 2017, worth 10 lakh. However, the left-hander didn't get any matches to play for that season. However, it did help Rinku to look forward as a professional cricketer.

In the next auction, a life-changing moment happened for Rinku. His and his family's destiny changed when KKR bought him for INR 80 lakh for the next season. He never imagined he would get such an amount. Although the amount is not that big compared to the league, it was far more than enough to stabilise his family's financial condition. He made his IPL debut in 2018. 

Since then, the left-handed batsman has been with the franchise and is developing himself as a great cricketer. He had been on a contract worth 80 lakh per season for the past four seasons. Impressed by the youngster, KKR re-bought him in the IPL 2022 mega auction for 55 lakh. He got his first match this season against Gujarat Titans. While the top order was struggling, the young fellow contributed 35 runs at the strike rate of 125.00. Not just with bat, he took crucial four catches and proved his essence as a string fielder to the team. The three of the four catches were of Andre Russell's delivery, who said, "I owe Rinku a dinner. He doesn't drink. I'll get him anything."

• Hopefully, he will get many matches to play ahead, and this young cricketer's rags to riches story will undoubtedly encourage many. His dedication to the game is an inspiration for everyone.