Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star and Indian national cricket team batsman Rinku Singh have been named captains of the Uttar Pradesh team for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which will begin on December 21.

Rinku Singh will take over the captaincy responsibility from veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who captained the team in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

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As captain of Uttar Pradesh, I have a bigger role to play and I am ready for it – Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh does not have much experience as a captain and his Vijay Hazare Trophy stint will be the first time he will captain a state team at the senior level. The 27-year-old, however, is up for the challenge.

He said he enjoyed his stint as captain of Meerut Mavericks in the UPT20 League and those experiences will come in handy in the upcoming 50-over competition. Rinku Singh also revealed about working hard to improve his bowling.

“It was a great opportunity for me to lead Meerut Mavericks in the UPT20 League, and I am happy that I was able to fulfill it. I really enjoyed the captaincy as it allowed me to learn a lot of things,” he said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

“I tried my hand at bowling [offspin] also in the UPT20 league. Today’s cricket demands a complete package – a cricketer who can bat, bowl and field. Now I am also concentrating on bowling. As captain of Uttar Pradesh, I have a bigger role to play and I am ready for it.”

I’m not thinking too much about KKR captaincy – Rinku Singh

A good campaign for Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy could act as a launch pad for Rinku Singh to bag the captaincy of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) title under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who was released by the franchise and they could not buy him back in the auction.

After failing to get Shreyas Iyer, KKR made a strong bid for Venkatesh Iyer and got him for INR 23.75. Many felt that the all-rounder would captain the team in the upcoming season after being bought for a sizeable amount, but Ajinkya Rahane is also a top candidate for the role, according to reports.

As nothing has been finalised, Rinku Singh was asked if he was thinking about the KKR captaincy. Responding to this, the left-handed batsman said that he is not thinking about it at all and is completely focused on leading Uttar Pradesh in VHT. He stated:

“I am not thinking too much about KKR captaincy in the new IPL season. I am focused on my plans for Uttar Pradesh as I want my team to regain the trophy we won for the first time in 2015-16.”

Even now I feel that if God has decided something for me, I will surely get it – Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh is a permanent member of the Indian T20I team, but is not in the ODI scheme. With the Champions Trophy 2025 just around the corner, the selection committee would be attentive to the performance of key players, and Rinku would be one of them.

However, the batsman is focusing only on working hard and has left everything else in the hands of God. Rinku Singh explained:

“I believe in God. I didn’t even think of being a part of the Indian team when I hit five consecutive sixes in the IPL last year. That turned out to be the biggest change in my life. Even now I feel that if God has decided something for me, I will surely achieve it, but at the same time I also need to work hard at my job.”