The celebration of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph is being enjoyed not only by Team India but also by millions of fans across the country. India delivered an exceptional performance throughout the tournament and secured their third title by defeating New Zealand in the final. While the victory is special for every member of the Indian squad, it holds even deeper significance for batter Rinku Singh. 

For Rinku Singh, the triumph represents the fulfilment of his late father’s dream of seeing his son win the World Cup. Tragically, his father, Khanchand Singh, passed away during the tournament and therefore could not witness Rinku achieving this lifelong goal. The left-hand batter’s father passed away on the morning of February 27 at a hospital in Greater Noida, where he had been undergoing treatment for stage-4 liver cancer. 

During the middle of the tournament, one day after the match against Zimbabwe, Rinku Singh travelled to Aligarh to attend his father’s funeral. Following the tragic loss, there were doubts over whether Rinku would feature in the remaining matches of the T20 World Cup 2026. However, keeping the team and the nation’s hopes in mind, he rejoined the Indian squad ahead of the crucial match against South Africa and continued to be part of the tournament. Following India's title win, Rinku remembered his late father on social media and said she stepped onto the field to fulfil his dream.

Rinku Singh’s emotional post for his late father

On Tuesday, March 10, Rinku Singh shared a picture with his father on his official Instagram account, including several important details in the caption. Rinku also revealed why he rejoined the team despite his father’s death.

“Aapse baat kiye bina itne din kabhi nahi nikale. Mujhe nahi pata aage ki zindagi aapke bina kaise chalegi… par mujhe har kadam par aapki zaroorat padegi."

“Aapne sikhaya tha ki farz sabse aage hai.. toh field par bas aapka sapna poora karne ki koshish kar raha tha. Ab aapka sapna pura ho gaya hai…. toh bas yahi lagta hai ki kash aap mere paas hote."

“Har chhoti badi khushi mein aapki kami khalegi. Bohot miss karunga aapko Papa… bohot zyada," Rinku wrote in the caption of the Instagram post.

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Rinku Singh prioritised Team India despite his father's passing, but he did not get another chance in the tournament. After the group stage, Rinku got a chance only against South Africa in the Super-8. After that, Sanju Samson was played in his place for the remaining matches. In this way, Rinku played only in India's first five matches, in which he scored 24 runs.