Kolkata Knight Riders’ middle-order star Rinku Singh found himself in the Mumbai Indians (MI) dressing room with a special request after KKR’s IPL 2025 clash against MI. The left-hander, known for his charming off-field antics, was on the lookout for Rohit Sharma’s bat when he was intercepted by Mumbai cricketers Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya.
Rinku’s habit of collecting bats from senior players has been well-documented. Last season, he made headlines for asking Virat Kohli for a bat, despite the RCB legend having gifted him one just a month prior. Kohli jokingly reprimanded him before eventually handing over another one. This time, Rinku had his eyes set on Rohit Sharma’s willow.
Mumbai Indians shared a fun video of Rinku’s visit to their dressing room. In the clip, Tilak Varma playfully accused Rinku of already having plenty of quality bats. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya humorously confronted him, asking why he was still on a bat-collecting spree. Amidst the laughter, Rohit Sharma obliged and handed bats to both Rinku and his domestic teammate Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
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Despite his cheerful presence off the field, Rinku Singh has struggled with the bat in IPL 2025. The southpaw has managed just 29 runs in two innings at an average of 14.50, failing to make a significant impact. Against Mumbai, he fell cheaply for 17, mistiming an attacking stroke against young pacer Ashwani Kumar.
Rinku se 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙙𝙝𝙖𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙚, 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙚 🤣💙#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai pic.twitter.com/2NPuXCzURY
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 2, 2025
KKR’s title defense has also gotten off to a rocky start. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side has won just one of its first three games, with Rinku unable to provide the middle-order stability the team needs. His return to form will be crucial for Kolkata’s comeback in the tournament.
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Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians secured their first win of the season in emphatic fashion, crushing KKR by eight wickets at Wankhede Stadium. Debutant Ashwani Kumar was the star of the show, dismantling KKR’s batting lineup with sensational figures of 4/24 as the visitors were bowled out for a paltry 116 in 16.2 overs.
Chasing 117, MI made light work of the target, thanks to a superb unbeaten 62 off 41 balls from Ryan Rickelton. He built crucial partnerships with Rohit Sharma and Will Jacks before Suryakumar Yadav wrapped up the game in style, smashing a six to seal the victory in just 12.5 overs.
