The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday named left-handed batter Rinku Singh as the vice-captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The 28-year-old will be serving as Ajinkya Rahane‘s deputy in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament. Last year, Venkatesh Iyer was named KKR’s vice-captain, but after a below-par season with the franchise, the all-rounder was released by the three-time champions, paving the way for Rinku to become a key member of the leadership group.
The announcement of Rinku being the vice-captain was made by the team CEO Venky Mysore during the Knights Unplugged 3.0 event at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday. It is worth noting that Rinku etched his name in KKR folklore in the IPL 2023 season when he hit five back-to-back sixes in the final over of the bowling of Yash Dayal to help KKR register an improbable win against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“I am going to invite a name who became a household name after he hit those five sixes. Rinku Singh. We are delighted to inform you that Rinku, who came on board with us in 2018, will be the vice-captain and work closely with Ajinkya Rahane,” said Mysore.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, Rinku was retained by KKR for INR 13 crore. KKR will begin their IPL 2026 season on March 29 against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.
In his IPL career, Rinku has played 59 matches, scoring 1099 runs at an average of 30.53 and a strike rate of 145.18. He was also a part of the title-winning squad in 2024. Rinku was also part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad this year.
KKR coaching staff
The KKR coaching staff has been revamped ahead of the IPL 2026 season. Abhishek Nayar will be the head coach, with Shane Watson as the assistant coach. Dwayne Bravo will continue in his role as the mentor, while Andre Russell, who retired from the tournament before the mini auction last year, will serve as the power-hitting coach.
The IPL 2026 will begin on Saturday, March 28 with the tournament opener between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
