Rinku Singh dropped from India T20I squad — Did his BJP connection finally cost him?
India's lower-order batter, Rinku Singh, has been dropped from India's T20I squad for the Ireland and England series as the development has been connected with BJP party.
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Even though the focus on India’s T20I squad for the Ireland and England series was around the change in captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav to Shreyas Iyer and the inclusion of the 15-year-old kid, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the BCCI selectors have silently axed Rinku Singh from the squad for the seven 20-over games.
Of all the surprises the selectors sprung in declaring the squad, Rinku’s omission stood out the most as the lower-order batter, who was part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 winning squad, finds himself out of the best 15 members of the format.
Rinku Singh's BJP link: The inside story of how political loyalty replaced cricketing merit
The reports have claimed that one of the influential politicians, who had backed the inclusion of Rinku Singh in India’s T20I set-up, even over the position of Shubman Gill at one stage, may not be in a position to get the same influence. It has fueled discussions about how the selections are shaped behind the scenes.
There is a connection between the Indian star player and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which is primarily through the governance, state support, and state support.
The left-handed batter, who hails from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, was appointed by the UP Government as a regional sports officer under the Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath. The state’s initiative to get the athlete was directly to the government’s service and was praised by the UP Chief Minister.
His personal life connects him to a major political figure from the competing party, as he got engaged to Priya Saroj, who is a prominent young Member of Parliament (MP) from Machhlishar. She is a leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP), which is a key political rival to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
From five sixes to forgotten man — Rinku Singh's journey and what IPL 2026 really showed
Rinku has featured for India in 33 innings of the shortest format and has smashed 665 runs at an average of 39.11 and a blistering strike rate of 155.73. He celebrated three half-centuries in his career with the best score of an unbeaten 69 runs.
Overall, in the 169 innings of the T20s, the southpaw has notched up 3807 runs at a strike rate of 147.21, with the help of 20 fifties at the best score of undefeated 83 runs.
See Also: Watch: Rinku Singh participates in special gully cricket challenge before SRH vs KKR IPL 2026 match
In his IPL career, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter has smashed 1394 runs in 62 innings at a strike rate of 145.96, out of which 295 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of around 150 came in 2026, including his two half-centuries.
The Indian side seems to have moved on from Rinku at this stage, but he could, anyway, make a comeback in the national side with a strong campaign for the UP or KKR side.
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