Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane’s thrilling night at the Wankhede took a worrying turn after he was forced to walk off the field with an injury scare at the start of Mumbai Indians’ chase on Sunday. Vice-captain Rinku Singh subsequently stepped in as the on-field skipper in Rahane’s absence.
The incident occurred at the end of the fourth over, when Rahane, stationed at cover, suddenly went down and was seen writhing in pain. While the exact nature of the injury remains unclear, commentators initially suggested it could be a case of cramps.
KKR’s physio rushed onto the field to assess the situation, but the discomfort appeared more serious than first thought. Rahane was helped to his feet by teammates before deciding to walk off, leaving Rinku with the responsibility of leading the side in a crucial phase of the game.
It was only earlier this week that KKR CEO and managing director Venky Mysore had confirmed during a pre-season press conference that Rinku would take over as vice-captain from Venkatesh Iyer, who was released after the 2025 season and later signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Rinku, who has been part of the KKR setup since his debut IPL season in 2018, has never led a T20 side before. However, he has evolved into a vital cog in the lineup as a middle-order batter and finisher—roles he increasingly took over after Andre Russell stepped away from the IPL last year.
“I think it’s quite befitting because my first memory of coming to KKR and being part of the support staff was working with Rinku Singh,” head coach Abhishek Nayar said. “Over the years, we’ve seen him evolve not only as a cricketer but also as a leader. For the past couple of years, while his performances have spoken for themselves, off the field too, he is someone the team looks up to.”
Earlier in the evening, Rahane had led from the front with a blistering 67, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi chipped in with a fluent 51, as KKR posted a competitive 220 for 4.
