Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has urged Kolkata Knight Riders to back Rinku Singh as their new captain for the Indian Premier League 2027. KKR’s former captain Ajinkya Rahane recently announced his retirement and the franchise would need to appoint a new skipper ahead of the next edition.
Rinku Singh recently led Meerut Mavericks to glory in the UP T20 League 2026. Singh led from the front, scoring 241 runs in 10 matches of the tournament at an average of 40.17 and a strike rate of 169.72.
The left-hander scored 295 runs in 11 innings at an average of 59 and a strike rate of 148.98 in IPL 2026.
“I had said this earlier as well. I said this last year as well. I had said this after going to Kolkata as well. This question was asked in many places that who should be KKR’s next captain, whether they should continue with Ajinkya Rahane, and, if not Ajinkya, then who. I was constantly saying that the guy is ready and sitting with you,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra said Singh is ready to take over the captaincy onus in the IPL.
“Rinku Singh is ready. Rinku Singh has captaincy experience. Rinku Singh is slightly underrated for sure, but he is the kind of character you need as a captain. He takes everyone along. He is kind of unassuming. He is a match-winner, performer, and contributor,” he observed.
Meanwhile, the former Delhi cricketer believes KKR would look to acquire a captain in the IPL 2027 auction.
“He is the guy around whose shoulders you can keep your arm, explain things, and have a conversation. So, in my humble opinion, Rinku Singh should be made the captain because KKR will go shopping for a captain,” he said.
The former KKR batter said he would back Rinku Singh ahead of any overseas player as a leader of the team.
“They might get a foreign captain because now I am not 100 percent certain about Hardik Pandya’s trade being true. So if you don’t get a captain at all, you will have to go overseas, unless, of course, you are thinking about Rinku Singh, and if I am KKR, I will think of Rinku because Rinku hai taiyaar,” Chopra observed.
Rinku Singh has scored 1394 runs in 73 IPL matches.
