Rinku Singh recalls flying on charter plane with Shah Rukh Khan after T20 WC snub: 'He said things like...'

Rinku Singh recalls flying on charter plane with Shah Rukh Khan after T20 WC snub (BCCI Photo)

Rinku Singh is one of the best examples of rags to riches all thanks to his cricketing prowess. Rinku had already become a regular in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) setup but the night he smoked Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes in the final over of a run-chase was the moment he attained overnight stardom. The ruthless show by Rinku is fondly recalled as one of the most memorable moments in the 18-year history of the competition, and arguably in some way or the other it also paved a way for him into the Indian dressing room.

However, it was always difficult for a relatively new player like Rinku to retain a spot in the star-studded Indian side, which included Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among others. And exactly that happened as Rinku failed to make the cut for the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

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Rinku, however, still had the opportunity to travel with the senior pros to the Caribbean and the USA for the marquee event as a reserve. It was natural for Rinku to feel disappointed after the snub, and compounding his woes was the underwhelming performance in the IPL 2024. In 11 innings all Rinku could muster was 168 runs at a poor average of 18.67.

The cricketer then received some words of wisdom from none other than Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who also co-owns the KKR franchise. Rinku had to travel to Mumbai for visa formalities to travel for the World Cup and was asked to join the actor on a charter plane.

Speaking to RevSportz, Rinku recalled the moment. “Shah Rukh sir had to travel the next day as well. I was ready to leave by myself, but sir’s secretary, Pooja (Dadlani) ma’am might have come to know about my situation. She asked me to join him (SRK), which I rejected initially, as I was really embarrassed. Then sir asked me himself, so I couldn’t reject any further. I travelled with him in his car and then on a chartered flight for the first time,” said Rinku.

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Elaborating further Rinku mentioned how Shah Rukh Khan tried motivating him and it actually helped him deal with that period. “We spoke in the car, and as I wasn’t having a great season that year, he was making me understand a lot of things. He said things like ‘we are all the same’ and ‘people know you as much as they know me’. He motivated me a lot.”