India cricketer Rinku Singh, the Kolkata Knight Riders middle-order batter, has finally spoken about the viral clips from IPL 2025 showing him repeatedly asking Virat Kohli for bats. The videos, which circulated widely on social media, painted Rinku in an unusual light, making him “infamous” for the incidents.
Rinku explained that the attention from the cameras made the situation look worse than it was. He initially broke a bat given by Kohli and, when he approached the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain for a replacement, Kohli appeared slightly annoyed before handing him a new bat.
“Main thoda zyada badnaam ho gaya tha bat ke chakkar mai. I used to meet him normally and then asked for a bat. The cameraman would follow me. It wasn’t being perceived well. It wasn’t good for me and bhaiya (Kohli) too,” Rinku Singh told News24 Sports.
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While Rinku kept a low profile with Kohli during IPL 2025, fellow Uttar Pradesh cricketer Swastik Chikara gained attention for shadowing the former India captain and learning from him closely. “For Chikara, it was a big deal to be around such a big player. He became his shadow. He learnt a lot from him,” Rinku noted.
Rinku Singh broke Virat Kohli Bat to a spinner
Virat Kohli reaction 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/2NLbRL3InE
— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) April 21, 2024
This season, Rinku Singh turned to other cricketing legends, approaching MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma for their bats. “I wasn’t seen with Virat bhai this time. I did get Mahi bhai’s bat and Rohit bhai’s bat. It’s a big deal for me getting the bats from such players,” he said.
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Rinku also emphasized his own habit of giving bats to those who genuinely need them. “I have given a lot of bats myself. I do give bats to those who need them but those who have contracts, I don’t,” he added.
Rinku is now part of India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025, starting September 9 in the UAE, with India set to play their first match against UAE on September 10.
