[Watch] “Spreading joy” – Rinku Singh obliges fan for autograph; video goes viral

Team India batter Rinku Singh obliged a fan for an autograph, as the Men in Blue left Bengaluru following the conclusion of the fifth and final T20I against Australia.

In a video shared by Rinku’s Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the cricketer was seen giving an autograph to a fan who requested the same. In the video, the fan was heard calling Rinku ‘Sixer king.’

KKR captioned the post:

“Spreading joy and putting a smile on every face.”

Rinku Singh had a good outing against Australia, amassing 105 runs in four T20I innings at an average of 52.50, including four sixes and 13 boundaries. The left-handed swashbuckling batter slammed unbeaten 22 (14) and 31 (9) in the first two games before rescuing India with 46 off 29 in the fourth match.

On the back of his heroics, Rinku got picked in India’s T20I and ODI squads for India's tour of South Africa. He will next be in action against the Proteas in the T20I opener on December 10.

For the unversed, Rinku made his T20I debut during the India's tour of Ireland earlier this year. The UP-born cricketer earned the well-deserved call following his consistent performances for KKR in the last two IPL seasons.

In 2023, Rinku ended as the leading run-scorer for KKR, scoring 474 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 149.53, including four half-centuries. The left-hander’s popularity peaked when he slammed five consecutive sixes against Gujarat Titans when KKR needed 28 runs off the last five balls.

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Rinku Singh retained by KKR ahead of IPL 2024 auction

Rinku Singh has been retained by KKR ahead of IPL 2024 auction. Overall, the Kolkata-based franchise retained 13 players ahead of the auction. KKR have ₹32.7 crore in their kitty to fill their remaining slots.

Retained Players: Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer.

Released Players: Aarya Desai, David Wiese, Johnson Charles, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Lockie Ferguson, Mandeep Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Shakib Al Hasan, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, and Umesh Yadav.