Just before the start of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), major changes are being seen in the teams. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has given a big responsibility to its star batsman Rinku Singh and made him the vice-captain of the team. The decision was announced during the ‘Nights Unplugged 3.0’ event held in Kolkata.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore said that Rinku Singh has been with the franchise since 2018 and has been an important member of the team. His consistent good performance and dedication towards the team is the main reason for this decision. In the 2023 season, Rinku led his team to an incredible victory by hitting five consecutive sixes in an over against Gujarat Titans, after which he became the topic of discussion in the entire country.
Rinku Singh has played 59 matches in IPL so far, in which he has scored 1099 runs at an average of 30.53 and strike rate of 145.18. During this period he has also scored 4 half-centuries. He has returned to the pavilion unbeaten 15 times, which shows his match finishing ability.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered a blow when their fast bowler Yash Dayal decided not to play this season due to personal reasons. Team’s Director of Cricket Mohammad Bobat has confirmed this. However, he also clarified that Yash is still under contract with the team. RCB had retained Yash for Rs 5 crore before last year’s auction.
It is noteworthy that Yash Dayal is currently facing two separate sexual exploitation cases. A woman from Ghaziabad has accused him of physically exploiting her for five years on the pretext of marriage, against whom a case of rape has been registered. Apart from this, in Jaipur also a minor girl has accused of raping her on the pretext of helping her in cricket, in which case an FIR has been registered in Sanganer Sadar police station. Recently Yash married content creator Shweta Pundir.
England opening batsman Ben Duckett has also decided not to play for Delhi Capitals this season. He talked about focusing on playing for England. After this decision, Duckett will not be able to participate in the 2027 and 2028 auction under IPL rules.
Apart from this, many other players have also been out of the initial matches due to injury or other reasons. These include big names like Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Mathish Pathirana. Teams have also started announcing replacements, in which Chennai Super Kings have included Spencer Johnson and Sunrisers Hyderabad have included David Paine in their team.
