KKR star Rinku Singh officially appointed captain of....

The star Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and India National Cricket Team batter Rinku Singh has been appointed as the captain of Team Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is set to start on December 21.

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

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As captain of Uttar Pradesh, I have got a bigger role to play, and I'm ready for this - Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh doesn't have a lot of captaincy experience, and his Vijay Hazare Trophy stint will be the first time that he will captain a state team at the senior level. The 27-year-old, however, is ready for the challenge.

He said that he enjoyed his stint as the captain of Meerut Mavericks in the UPT20 League and those experiences will be helpful in the upcoming 50-over competition. Rinku Singh also revealed about working hard on improving his bowling.

"It was a big opportunity for me to lead Meerut Mavericks in the UPT20 League, and I am happy that I could deliver. I really enjoyed captaincy as it allowed me to learn many things," he said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I did try my hand at bowling [offspin] too at the UPT20 league. Present-day cricket demands a full package - a cricketer who can bat, bowl and field. Now I am focusing on my bowling too. As captain of Uttar Pradesh, I have got a bigger role to play, and I'm ready for this."

I am not thinking too much about the captaincy of KKR - Rinku Singh

A good campaign with Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy might act as a launchpad for Rinku Singh to get the captaincy of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who was released by the franchise and they weren't able to buy him back at the auction.

After not getting Shreyas Iyer, KKR bid heavily on Venkatesh Iyer and roped him in for INR 23.75. Many felt that the all-rounder would captain the side in the next season after being bought for a hefty amount but Ajinkya Rahane is also one of the leading contenders for the role, according to reports.

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

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

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

Rinku Singh is a permanent member of the Indian T20I team but is not in the scheme of things in ODIs. With the Champions Trophy 2025 around the corner, the selection committee would be keeping an eye on the performance of the 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 elaborated:

"I believe in God. I didn't even think of being part of Team India when I struck five consecutive sixes in the IPL last year. That turned out to be the biggest game-changer in my life. Even now I feel that if God has decided something for me, I will get that surely. But at the same time, I also need to workhard on my job."