‘Plucky’ is the word that you should attach to Rinku Singh after what he did during the T20 World Cup 2026. He didn’t do much with the bat. In fact, he had the second-worst average by any player in the T20 World Cup (min. five innings). Yet, he played a role. A role that not everyone would notice but should be told about.

It is a well-known fact that a World Cup is not won by just 11 players who are on the field. There are contributions from each and every individual who is part of the setup. Right from the selectors to the coaching staff to the backroom staff to players, all individuals are equally important for their respective roles. Similarly for Rinku, he may have failed to nail down the role he was brought for but it was heartening to see what he managed to do in crucial games.

Rinku Singh, deservingly a World Cup winner

Rinku made his name during the lead-up to the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma. In fact, everytime he batted, he did something special. In his first 15 games, Rinku had a batting average of 89 coupled with an SR of 176.23. It looked like a sure shot that he would make it to the T20 World Cup 2024. But India chose Shivam Dube. Rinku was heartbroken and even Rohit went to console him right after the squad selection announcement.

Two years later, Rinku has a World Cup gold medal to his name. Back in 2024, he was merely a travelling reserve. Now, he got to play 5 games for his nation, same as Sanju Samson. While Samson was outwardly good in the tournament, Rinku made his presence felt by contributing in whatever capacity India needed him.

He may have scored just 24 runs across five innings, but Rinku made himself available as a fielding substitute. He is a livewire on the field, cutting angles near the boundary ropes. In almost all the games he fielded for India, backing up in case of any injury struggles. India’s overall fielding was awful in the tournament. It could’ve been worse if Rinku weren’t there, who took five catches in the tournament. Against Pakistan, he bagged two catches after his amazing cameo of 11 off 4 in the first innings.

Rinku Singh at T20 World Cup 2026

Runs	Inns	Average	Strike Rate
24	5	8.00	82.76

Match	Date	Score
43rd T20I, Super 8 Group 1 vs South Africa	22 Feb	0 (2)
36th T20I vs Netherlands	18 Feb	6 (3)
27th T20I vs Pakistan	15 Feb	11 (4)
18th T20I vs Namibia	12 Feb	1 (6)
3rd T20I vs USA	7 Feb	6 (14)

Rinku says, “I am there” despite personal tragedy

India’s shocking loss to South Africa forced the team management to tweak the team. India were at their best throughout the group stages and the Super Eight loss pushed them against the wall. Too many left-handers up top created a problem. Then, India looked at Samson, who wreaked havoc in a space of three games. But it was Rinku’s place which was compromised.

Rinku was benched before the Zimbabwe game but then something drastic happened. On the eve of the must-win clash against the West Indies in Chennai, Rinku got a call from his home. The news shook his world. Hours before India’s non-negotiable match against a strong Caribbean unit, Rinku lost his father due to cancer.

A player goes through a lot in this situation. He lost his support system, a man who struggled throughout his life just to make his son worthy enough to carve his own niche. But instead of backing down from this emotional situation, Rinku turned up. He joined the team on the day of the match, with even head coach Gautam Gambhir lauding Rinku’s tremendous valour. He may not have played a game in the tournament since that, but his presence lifted the morale of the entire team.

Known as a funny character, Rinku is a kind of personality a team would love to have. On the field, he loves to give everything. It was seen when he ran in hard to stop boundaries and adding up as the 12th man of the side in all the games he didn’t get to play. Off the field, Rinku showed how courage and bravery can boost the entire nation. A nation that stood behind Rinku in the tough time.