Why did Rinku Singh go home before IND vs ZIM clash in T20 World Cup 2026? Revealed

Rinku Singh was part of India’s playing XI in all five previous games in the T20 World Cup 2026.

India are gearing up for their upcoming clash against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 Round of the T20 World Cup 2026. The IND vs ZIM encounter will be played on February 26 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Notably, it is a crucial game for Suryakumar Yadav & Co. as they need to defeat Zimbabwe at any cost to remain alive in the race for the semi-finals. Ahead of the IND vs ZIM game, batter Rinku Singh has left India’s squad in Chennai and returned to his home.

It is not clear whether Rinku will join the team before the match against Zimbabwe. The left-handed batsman flopped with his batting in the previous game against South Africa, losing his wicket for a duck.

Also, he has struggled to make a mark with the bat since the start of the tournament. In the first two games against the USA and Namibia in the league stage, he lost his wicket for 6 and 1. Later, he hit unbeaten 11* and 6* against Pakistan and the Netherlands. Across five games, he has scored 24 runs.

Rinku Singh returned home due to a family emergency- Reports

According to a report by The Times of India (TOI), the 28-year-old batsman has returned home due to a family emergency. He has gone home to see his sick father. As a result, he didn’t train with the team on February 24 in Chennai.

Due to persistent batting issues, Rinku is likely to be dropped from the Zimbabwe game even if he rejoins the team in time.

Since the clash against Zimbabwe is a must-win game for India, they are expected to play their strongest combination. Moreover, following the humiliating 76-run defeat against South Africa in the previous match, a few changes are expected in the next game.

The Men-in-Blue are currently placed in the third spot in the Group 1 points table. The West Indies and South Africa are in the top two positions with two points each.

Even after winning the next two matches, India’s qualification for the T20 World Cup semi-finals will depend on the Net Run Rate (NRR) and the result of the West Indies vs South Africa match.

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