Why Rinku Singh is Not in India Squad

Why Rinku Singh is Not in India Squad For Afghanistan T20I Series 2026? Explained

Monojit Das

Modified - Sep 01, 2026, 02:16 PM

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India's squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan has been announced. Shreyas Iyer will lead a team which has some of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. Despite the presence of some world-class names, the absence of Rinku Singh surprised the fans.

Rinku has been in and out of India's T20I team over the years despite performing fairly well in the limited chances. He was a part of the team for the Zimbabwe series but has been dropped again.

Why Rinku Singh is Not in India Squad For Afghanistan T20I Series?

The selectors haven't revealed the reason behind Rinku Singh absence from India squad for Afghanistan T20I series. It is believed that the Indian selectors have opted to go for a more experienced squad and hence, there was no place for Rinku.

India's squad for the previous series against Zimbabwe wasn't a full-strength one as it did not have the likes of Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar. With these players returning, Rinku Singh was axed from the Afghanistan T20Is.

Rinku is considered as a finisher in India's batting order and his skills are highly unmatched. However, the team management, led by the head coach Gautam Gambhir, has preferred all-round options, which puts Rinku Singh out of the equation from India's first-choice playing 11.

Is Rinku Singh Dropped From India's T20I Team?

Rinku Singh has all the potential to become one of the best T20 batsmen. He scored 37 runs in three matches of the Zimbabwe T20I series. It wasn'a great series for him by looking at his batting standards. This also might be the reason for Rinku's absence from this series.

The left-handed batter is currently playing the UP T20 League where he has scored 169 runs in six matches at an average of 42 while leading Meerut Mavericks. He has scored these runs at an impressive strike rate of 220.

Despite being dropped for this series, Rinku is likely to be back if he keeps performing with the bat. The upcoming domestic season will be important for him as he aims to make a case for himself in the other formats as well.