Impact Player rule in IPL cost Rinku Singh spot in India squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2024 - Reports

Rinku Singh has played 15 T20Is and scored 356 runs at an average of 89 and strike rate of 176.23 for India so far.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on April 30. Veteran player Rohit Sharma will lead the side, whereas Hardik Pandya will serve as his deputy for the tournament. However, youngster Rinku Singh, who has been making big strides since last year, failed to make a cut to the final 15 and was named in the list of reserves.

Soon after the announcement, a shocking report claimed that Impact Player rule in the IPL has costed middle-order batter Rinku Singh a spot in the India squad. Rinku has been named in the list of reserve players along with Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku has been in phenomenal form since IPL 2023 and then for the Indian side in the shortest format since making his debut last year. Rinku has been often compared to the legendary finisher MS Dhoni in terms of his consistency as a lower middle-order batter. In 15 T20Is, Rinku has smashed 356 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 176.23 at an average of 89.00.

The 26-year-old also played a crucial role during the third T20I match against Afghanistan earlier this year, where he along with Rohit stitched an unbeaten stand of 190 runs. In the ongoing IPL 2024 edition, Rinku hasn’t batted much but has hammered 123 runs at a strike rate of 150.

Despite performing well in both the IPL and Indian side for the past two years, Rinku has been omitted, and instead of him, hard-hitter Shivam Dube was preferred in the 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.

Rinku Singh paid the price for the Impact Player Rule – Reports

In the ongoing IPL 2024, Rinku has come out to bat in almost the last five overs of the KKR innings and has also been substituted in a few league games till now.

The left-handed batter has just played 82 balls till now. Whereas his competitor Dube has been seen playing at a higher spot in the batting order for CSK and has delivered by providing them with valuable runs. The Super Kings batter has played 203 balls in nine games in the IPL 2024 edition so far.

According to the latest report in PTI, the Indian selectors unanimously agreed that Rinku was sidelined by the panel because he couldn’t fill in the shoes of Dube and Hardik Pandya in the 15-member squad.

“No doubt, Rinku paid the price for the Impact Player Rule. He is plain and simple unlucky. Hardik might be in poor form but he is still India’s best seam bowling all-rounder and it would have been a risk dropping him considering he is the only one who has bowled,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

India squad for T20 World Cup 2024:

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Sanju Samson (Wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Travelling reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket for IPL 2024 Live Score & IPL Points Table,  on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.