Clock’s Ticking- Rinku Singh must defend his finisher tag in IPL 2025

Rinku Singh was named India’s designated finisher in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) by the Indian Premier League (IPL), but it may now also decide his destiny in the run-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup. It’s like walking a tightrope without a net when you’re a finisher. Even if “inconsistency” is a part of the job, the batter for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cannot afford to make too many mistakes in the 2025 Indian Premier League, and he is responsible for his own mistakes.

One of the most difficult tasks in cricket is finishing games in the 20-over format. There are only a few balls to change the outcome in your team’s favor; there is no time to settle and no second chances. And the left-hander has previously accepted that pressure, which is why Rinku is where he is. But things haven’t gone as he would have liked over the past 12 months or so.

Yes, Rinku excelled at T20 cricket from 2021 to 2023, scoring 1,512 runs at an average of 56 and a strike rate of 153.3 in 47 innings, most of which came while batting at No. 5 or below. Rinku played for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during this time, averaging 60.2 and hitting 147.9.

Rinku had consecutive incredible seasons for KKR even in the IPL, scoring 648 runs with a strike rate of 149.3 and an average of nearly 50 runs across 21 innings. The 27-year-old won a lot of games that KKR and UP shouldn’t have. Rinku was dominating every task that was put in front of him, whether it was defeating Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj in several games or hitting Yash Dayal for five straight sixes in the 20th over.

Everyone was eager to know if Rinku could do the same at the higher level and guess what, the shy and always-smiling batter from Aligarh took to international cricket like a fish to water. In his first 15 T20I innings for India, Rinku scored 416 runs @ 83.2 and a strike rate of 176.3. Rinku was going about his business at a strike rate of 213.49 in death overs.

It seemed like India had finally found a reliable finisher in white-ball cricket — someone who could not only clear the ropes consistently in the death overs but also has the smarts to read and adapt to match situations when needed. Life was good for Rinku, but then the IPL 2024 happened, and his form took a big hit.

The Knight Riders won an IPL title after 10 years but Rinku could only manage 168 runs in 11 innings at an average of 18.67 and a strike rate of 148.7. The left-hander was the only frontline KKR batter with an average of less than 20. Rinku failed to cross the 30-run mark even once despite coming out to bat before the start of the 13th over in six out of 11 innings.

Now, that strike rate of 148.7 looks quite alright, but that was largely because of his two cameos of 26 off 8 and 20* off 9 against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), respectively. If we take out those two knocks, Rinku’s strike rate read 127.08, which is far from great if you are the finisher of your team.

The opposition kept him quiet by bowling spin, against whom he had a strike rate of just 115.15 in the IPL 2024. Rinku did hit pacers at 162.5 but averaged only 16.25, getting out to them eight times. And 50 percent of those dismissals came when seamers bowled pace-off deliveries. Back of a length and short deliveries (four dismissals in 32 balls, strike rate 100) was something else Rinku struggled against last season.

India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 was also announced during the IPL 2024, and Rinku wasn’t included in the main squad despite having insane numbers in T20Is. Indian captain Rohit Sharma and the team management said they wanted three all-rounders in the playing XI, and the conditions in the USA and the West Indies didn’t allow them to pick Rinku in the squad.

Rohit’s reasoning was understandable, but there’s no denying that Rinku’s underwhelming IPL 2024 also contributed to his World Cup omission — a tournament India dominated without losing a single match. Howbeit, Rinku’s past performances for the Men in Blue was always going to get him back into the set-up after the ICC event and that’s exactly what happened.

Rinku’s form, however, didn’t change. In his last 18 T20Is, the 27-year-old has scored 190 runs at an average of 21.11 and a strike rate of 138.7. If we take out the series against lower-ranked sides like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, Rinku is averaging JUST 6.9 while striking at less than 100 in 10 innings (vs Sri Lanka, South Africa and England). And that’s a decent sample size.

Rinku Singh is facing the same problem in T20Is that he faced in the IPL 2024.

His strike rate against spin has been terrible, which has always been the case, but he used to dominate pace, which somewhat helped him hide his struggles against slower bowlers. Fast bowlers are consistently targeting him with short stuff, and that has minimised his effectiveness in death overs in the last 12 months.

Finishing games is tough, but the competition for spots in Indian cricket is even tougher, especially if you are not offering multiple skill sets. Rinku plays as a pure batter, and his struggles against spin mean India cannot use him in the middle overs. Anyway, India’s middle-order is already packed with the likes of Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel.

When it comes to finishers, Hardik Pandya is always going to be there, but another poor IPL season could put Rinku’s spot in jeopardy. There’s Ramandeep Singh, who has already played a couple of T20Is. The 27-year-old can bowl a bit of medium pace and just like Rinku, Ramandeep is also an exceptional fielder. The all-round skills of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Riyan Parag will be difficult to ignore, while Shashank Singh can also make a good case for himself with another solid IPL season.

India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has made it clear that form will be the primary criterion for selection in the T20I side, adding a bit of pressure on Rinku amid his recent struggles. Given the role he plays and his past contributions, Rinku will have some extra backing from the Indian team management — much like KKR, who made him their top retention ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

However, the whispers are getting louder with every failure, and a mediocre IPL 2025 could leave the selectors with no choice but to look elsewhere. Rinku will be determined to silence his critics and make it clear he isn’t going anywhere.