Rinku Singh was one of the most notable omissions from the Indian cricket team’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

The hard-hitting left-hander was considered to be one of the prime contenders to be included as a finisher in India’s 15-member T20 World Cup squad.

However, Rinku Singh was axed from India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad that was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, April 30.

While the 26-year-old southpaw has not been included in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, he has been named as one of the four travelling reserves for the upcoming marquee T20 tournament.

In the previous edition of the Indian T20 League in 2023, Rinku Singh became an household name after he clobbered five sixes in the final over against Team Bengaluru’s left-arm pacer Yash Dayal to help Team Kolkata chase down 29 runs - the highest-ever chase in the 20th over in the Indian T20 League’s history.

Rinku finished as Kolkata’s leading run-scorer last season, having amassed 474 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52.

Following a successful Indian T20 League campaign, the Aligarh-born cricketer later made his international debut in the first T20 international against Ireland at The Village in August 2023.

Since then, Rinku cemented his place in the India’s T20I squad by playing a few memorable knocks under pressure. 

Batting mostly in the lower middle-order, Rinku has scored 356 runs in 15 T20Is at a brilliant strike rate of 176.23 while also maintaining an average of 89. 

With such impressive numbers in his short career, then the burning question is why is Rinku Singh not in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad?

Why is Rinku Singh not in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad

Rinku Singh can consider himself extremely unlucky to get dropped from India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

In the ongoing edition of the Indian T20 League, Rinku has had limited opportunities for Kolkata due to the success of their openers - Phil Salt (392 runs) and Sunil Narine (372 runs) - at the top of the order.

Kolkata’s two openers have been in scintillating form which has resulted in their impressive form this season so far. 

As a result, Rinku has scored just 123 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 150.

On the other hand, Shivam Dube’s outstanding form for Chennai in the ongoing Indian T20 League dented Rinku’s chances.

Dube has already accumulated 350 runs in nine matches this season at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 172.41. He has hammered 24 fours and 26 sixes in Indian T20 League 2024.

With Dube considered to be a good bet against spin, the southpaw has been included for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be played on similar conditions like Chepauk in the West Indies and the United States.

Additionally, Dube can contribute his handy medium pace as well and can also be a very like-for-like replacement for vice-captain Hardik Pandya. 

With Hardik’s fitness concerns, the selection committee opted for Dube in place of Rinku.

Meanwhile, India has added four spinners and three pacers in their 15-member squad. 

As each participating team will get a chance to change players in their initial squad till May 25, India can still include Rinku in their primary squad in place of a spinner depending on Rinku’s form and team’s requirement.

Should Rinku Singh manage a strong finish to the 2024 Indian T20 League season, there’s no reason why he can’t be roped into the squad as a replacement for one of India’s spinners.

India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill (travelling reserve), Rinku Singh (travelling reserve), Khaleel Ahmed (travelling reserve), Avesh Khan (travelling reserve)

Photo credit: Alamy

The Impact Player Rule has made a significant impact in the ongoing Indian T20 League 2024.

Introduced to the Indian T20 League in 2023, the Impact Player rule allows teams to make a tactical player substitution by replacing one player in the starting XI with another at any point in a match.

Teams must name five substitutes along with their starting XI on the team sheet before the toss. Only one of these five players can be used as an Impact Player, allowing the substitute player to participate actively in the match. This certainly adds a new strategic dimension to cricket’s shortest format. 

Chennai’s young pacer Tushar Deshpande became the first Impact Player to be used in Indian T20 League history.

Tushar Deshpande replaced middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu for Chennai during the Indian T20 League 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Following its success in the previous season, the Impact Player Rule has once again played a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of the matches in the Indian T20 League 2024. Get full list of Impact Players in Indian T20 League 2024.

Impact Players in Indian T20 League 2024

Match No.	Day and Date	Match	Impact Players
1	Friday, March 22	Chennai vs Bengaluru, MA Chidambaram Stadium	Shivam Dube for Mustafizur Rahman (Chennai), Yash Dayal for Dinesh Karthik (Bengaluru)
2	Saturday, March 23	Delhi vs Punjab, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium	Abishek Porel for Ricky Bhui (Delhi), Prabhsimran Singh for Arshdeep Singh (Punjab)
3	Saturday, March 23	Kolkata vs Hyderabad, Eden Gardens	Suyash Sharma for Ramandeep Singh (Kolkata) and Abhishek Sharma for T Natarajan (Hyderabad)
4	Sunday, March 24	Rajasthan vs Lucknow, Sawai Mansingh Stadium	Nandre Burger for Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan) and Deepak Hooda for Yash Thakur (Lucknow)
5	Sunday, March 24	Gujarat vs Mumbai, Narendra Modi Stadium	Mohit Sharma for Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat) and Dewald Brevis for Luke Wood (Mumbai)
6	Monday, March 25	Bengaluru vs Punjab, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium	Arshdeep Singh for Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab) and Mahipal Lomror for Yash Dayal (Bengaluru)
7	Tuesday, March 26	Chennai vs Gujarat, MA Chidambaram Stadium	Matheesha Pathirana for Shivam Dube (Chennai) and Sai Sudharsan for Mohit Sharma (Gujarat)
8	Wednesday, March 27	Hyderabad vs Mumbai, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium	Umran Malik for Travis Head (Hyderabad) and Romario Shepherd for Kwena Maphaka (Mumbai)
9	Thursday, March 28	Rajasthan vs Delhi, Sawai Mansingh Stadium	Abishek Porel for Khaleel Ahmed (Delhi) and Nandre Burger for Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan)
10	Friday, March 29	Bengaluru vs Kolkata, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium	Vijaykumar Vyshak for Dinesh Karthik (Bengaluru) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi for Varun Chakaravarthy (Kolkata)
11	Saturday, March 30	Lucknow vs Punjab, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium	Naveen-ul-Haq for KL Rahul (Lucknow) and Prabhsimran Singh for Arshdeep Singh (Punjab)
12	Sunday, March 31	Gujarat vs Hyderabad, Narendra Modi Stadium	Sai Sudharsan for Mohit Sharma (Gujarat) and Washington Sundar for Mayank Agarwal (Hyderabad)
13	Sunday, March 31	Delhi vs Chennai, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium	Rasikh Dar Salam for Prithvi Shaw (Delhi) and Shivam Dube for Matheesha Pathirana (Chennai)
14	Monday, April 1	Mumbai vs Rajasthan, Wankhede Stadium	Dewald Brevis for Naman Dhir (Mumbai) and Shubham Dubey for Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan)
15	Tuesday, April 2	Bengaluru vs Lucknow, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium	Manimaran Siddharth for Quinton de Kock (Lucknow) and Mahipal Lomror for Yash Dayal (Lucknow)
16	Wednesday, April 3	Delhi vs Kolkata,  Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium	Abishek Porel for Khaleel Ahmed (Delhi) and Vaibhav Arora for Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Kolkata)
17	Thursday, April 4	Gujarat vs Punjab, Narendra Modi Stadium	Mohit Sharma for Rahul Tewatia (Gujarat) and Ashutosh Sharma for Arshdeep Singh (Punjab)
18	Friday, April 5	Hyderabad vs Chennai, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium	Travis Head for T Natarajan (Hyderabad) and Mukesh Choudhary for Shivam Dube (Chennai)
19	Saturday, April 6	Rajasthan vs Bengaluru, Sawai Mansingh Stadium	Himanshu Sharma for Saurav Chauhan (Bengaluru) and Shubham Dubey for Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan)
20	Sunday, April 7	Mumbai vs Delhi, Wankhede Stadium	Akash Madhwal for Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai) and Kumar Kushagra for Khaleel Ahmed (Delhi)
21	Sunday, April 7	Lucknow vs Gujarat, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium	Manimaran Siddharth for Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow) and Kane Williamson for Mohit Sharma (Gujarat)
22	Monday, April 8	Chennai vs Kolkata, MA Chidambaram Stadium	Shivam Dube for Mustafizur Rahman (Chennai) and Anukul Roy for Rinku Singh (Kolkata)
23	Tuesday, April 9	Punjab vs Hyderabad, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium	Prabhsimran Singh for Arshdeep Singh (Punjab) and Rahul Tripathi for Travis Head (Hyderabad)
24	Wednesday, April 10	Rajasthan vs Gujarat, Sawai Mansingh Stadium	Keshav Maharaj for Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan) and Shahrukh Khan for Mohit Sharma (Gujarat)
25	Thursday, April 11	Mumbai vs Bengaluru, Wankhede Stadium	Suryakumar Yadav for Akash Madhwal (Mumbai) and Saurav Chauhan for Rajat Patidar (Bengaluru)
26	Friday, April 12	Lucknow vs Delhi, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium	Deepak Hooda for Quinton de Kock (Lucknow) and Abishek Porel for Khaleel Ahmed (Delhi)
27	Saturday, April 13	Punjab vs Rajasthan, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium	Yashasvi Jaiswal for Kuldeep Sen (Rajasthan) and Ashutosh Sharma for Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab)
28	Sunday, April 14	Kolkata vs Lucknow, Eden Gardens	Arshad Khan for Quinton de Kock (Lucknow) and Rinku Singh for Varun Chakaravarthy (Kolkata)
29	Sunday, April 14	Mumbai vs Chennai, Wankhede Stadium	Suryakumar Yadav for Akash Madhwal (Mumbai) and Matheesha Pathirana for Ajinkya Rahane (Chennai)
30	Monday, April 15	Bengaluru vs Hyderabad, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium	Anuj Rawat for Yash Dayal (Bengaluru) and Mayank Markande for Travis Head (Hyderabad)
31	Tuesday, April 16	Kolkata vs Rajasthan, Eden Gardens	Vaibhav Arora for Rinku Singh (Kolkata) and Jos Buttler for Kuldeep Sen (Rajasthan)

Top Impact Players in Indian T20 League 2024

Matheesha Pathirana’s 4/28 vs Mumbai

Chennai’s star pacer Matheesha Pathirana produced a match-winning spell as an Impact Player against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. Defending 206, Matheesha Pathirana came on as the Impact sub in place of Ajinkya Rahane. The Sri Lankan fast bowler later finished with figures of 4/28 to help Chennai secure a 20-run victory. 

Suryakumar Yadav’s 19-ball 52 vs Bengaluru

Mumbai’s swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav played a pivotal role as an Impact Player against Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium. Chasing 197, Suryakumar Yadav came into bat at No.3 as an Impact sub in place of Akash Madhwal. The 33-year-old later slammed a blitzkrieg 19-ball 52 to help Mumbai chase down the target in just 15.3 overs.

Nandre Burger’s 2/29 vs Delhi

Rajasthan’s new recruit Nandre Burger has been one of the top Impact Players in the Indian T20 League 2024. Defending 185 against Delhi in Jaipur, Nandre Burger was drafted in as an Impact Player in place of Shimron Hetmyer. The South African pacer immediately made an instant impact as he dismissed Delhi’s Mitchell Marsh and Ricky Bhui to put the hosts in a great position. Burger’s 2/29 helped Rajasthan restrict Delhi to 173/5 in their allotted overs and win the game by 12 runs. 

Photo credit: Alamy

Despite being part of the Indian T20 League since its very first season, Bangalore have never won the title and following their defeat to Hyderabad in the Eliminator, their hopes have been dashed again.

However, Indian T20 League 2020 had well till for Bangalore, and the Virat Kohli-led outfit ended up with a longer stay in the championship this time around at least.

AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli have starred for Bangalore with the bat. Bangalore managed to churn out the best outcome possible as they qualified for the playoffs despite losing their last game of the league stage to Delhi.

Bangalore were looking like a team that could hang around till the end if they played their cards right, but you might be wondering who ended up being the highest run-scorer for Bangalore? Well, here’s a list of players with most runs scored for Bangalore in 2020:

Player	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
Devdutt Padikkal	473	31.53	124.80
Virat Kohli	466	42.36	121.35
AB de Villiers	454	45.40	158.74
Aaron Finch	268	22.33	111.20
Shivam Dubey	129	18.42	122.85

Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / @devdpd07

Shivam Dube, the new entry to the Indian team, sprung into action in the second T20I against the West Indies and surprisingly, Virat Kohli was repaid with another honour for promoting the youngster up the order. 

Kohli surprised everyone when he sent Dube at number three ahead of him, and the youngster stood tall and took the chance with both hands.

Dube struck a glorious 54 off just 30 deliveries and took the attack to the opposition. However, the highlight of the night emerged against Kieron Pollard, when he struck three magnificent sixes in his over and left the crowds awestruck.

His knock was acknowledged by his teammates as he ended up achieving a unique record. The scintillating southpaw’s maiden T20I fifty has made him only the second Indian to score his first fifty in an international T20. 

Before Dube came into the limelight, Robin Uthappa was the only Indian player who was a recipient of such a unique feat, having scored his maiden fifty in international T20 against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup in 2007.  

Read | India vs West Indies 2nd T20I: Five things we learned

“Really special for me because it is first 50 from my side to the Indian team. But not happy because winning the match is more important for me,�?said the batsman at the post-match conference.

Dube’s humble remarks about his performance only displayed his outright intent as a team player and has set him on course to be a regular in the playing XI.

If Dube was setting up milestones of his own, the Indian captain added yet another feather to his cap. Kohli surpassed Rohit Sharma’s record of most runs in T20Is and is now the leading run-scorer in the shortest format of the game. 

Read | Fantasy Focus: From Kohli to Warner, bankable players for the week

The 30-year-old was just three runs behind his teammate coming into the game. The Indian opener scored 15 in the game, leaving Kohli just 18 runs short of the milestone. The skipper did it with ease, but was unable to continue his sublime form from the first T20I where he anchored a 200+ run chase with his blistering unbeaten knock of 94. 

The final T20I between India and West Indies will be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, i.e. December 11.  

Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Arun Shankar

After a 200-plus run-chase at Hyderabad, Lendl Simmons and Nicholas Pooran played a massive hand as West Indies blanked India by eight wickets at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. In a series-levelling win, West Indies did well to restrict India in the first innings and then used the dew on offer to play good cricketing shots. 

Here are five talking points from the game. 

The surprise promotion

India chose to spring a surprise after KL Rahul was dismissed early at the Sports Hub. Instead of the in-form Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, a pinch hitter, was promoted up the order, perhaps also bearing in mind that the left-arm spinner, Khary Pierre, was turning the ball into left-handers. 

Dube did not just grab the chance, but put on a show as he hit Kieron Pollard for three sixes in an over to complete a maiden half-century in the format in international cricket. On a sluggish wicket, Dube's power-packed show gave India a good total. 

Williams - Kohli at it again

We loved the notebook celebration by the Indian skipper at Hyderabad as he mocked Kesrick Williams after thumping him for a six. The battle had begun back in 2017 when Williams brought out his customary celebration against Kohli after dismissing him in a T20I.

#INDvWI pic.twitter.com/0fv5CHLMDs

�?ICC (@ICC) December 8, 2019

However, Indian fans had less to cheer about at Thiruvananthapuram as Williams bowled a well-disguised slower bumper to dismiss the Indian skipper. Instead of his trademark notebook celebration, Williams chose to put the finger on his lips, gesturing cheekily to Kohli to keep silent.

Rishabh Pant's flourish

Often mocked in recent times for letting go of opportunities to showcase his talent, Pant played a crucial hand from the lower middle-order as India set up a decent total on board. The wicket-keeper batsman walked in at No. 5 and hit a six off his second delivery to kick-start his innings. In fact, even at Hyderabad, he had begun his innings with a six.

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�?NISHANT BARAI (@maibhiengineer_) December 8, 2019

Pant, though, went on to make better decisions in terms of shot selection here and slammed 33 in 22 balls, a strike rate of 150 in the death overs. His day, however, could have been better if only he had not let go of a catch to give Evin Lewis a lifeline off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s delivery. 

Catching issues? No, says Kohli

India' s tryst with dropped chances continued at Sports Hub as Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant put down chances in the same over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While India's catching in recent T20Is has been shoddy at best, one man who seems to have no problem is Virat Kohli.

Read | India vs West Indies second T20: Washington Sundar under the scanner

The skipper pulled off a screamer to dismiss Shimron Hetmyer at long-on. Covering good ground to reach the ball near the ropes, Kohli held onto the ball while sliding pretty close to the ropes, never letting go of the ball in the process. Shreyas Iyer, later put down a similar catch in the game.

Stunning Catch By Indian Captain Virat Kohli #INDvsWI #ViratKohli #RohitSharma #shivamdubey @imVkohli @AnushkaSharma @SGanguly99 @bhogleharsha @sachin_rt @YUVSTRONG12 @LoyalSachinst @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/Vgfy3HFVfl

�?జై ♥️ (@JaipalReddyP521) December 8, 2019

Lendl Simmons rewinding the clock

There was a time when Simmons was a much-watched out batsman in the Indian T20 League when playing for the Mumbai-based franchise. More than belligerent hitting, Simmons had the touch game and the power game and quickly became a crowd favourite at the Wankhede. 

A few years have passed by, and back in West Indies colours, Simmons shone at Sports Hub with a brilliant half-century studded with crisp shots all around the wicket. After a failure against Deepak Chahar in the last game, Simmons made good use of the dew on offer to take on the Indian bowlers with conviction. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Arun Sankar

The Vijay Hazare Trophy has been creating quite a buzz this season with double hundreds and compelling individual performances. With the competition edging towards a finish, we take a look at five candidates who might be closing in on an Indian team call-up based on their form in this tournament.

Sanju Samson

The Kerala wicket-keeper batsman made a roaring statement with a scintillating double hundred in the season. In 8 matches in the tournament this year, Samson has 410 runs at an average of 58.57. With Rishabh Pant's ODI returns tapering down, Samson has a realistic chance of edging him in the national team.

Suryakumar Yadav

The pyrotechnics and lit cover drives aside, Suryakumar Yadav is a compact, reliable batsman who is flexible in terms of his role in the side. The Mumbaikar has had a stupendous Vijay Hazare Trophy so far and it could well pave way for an India berth, something that eluded him despite his performances for the Mumbai franchise in the Indian T20 League. Suryakumar has 226 runs in 7 matches this season but crucially has scored his runs at a strike rate of 154.79, the third best in the tournament, and an average of 113, the best in the tournament.

Shivam Dube

The big hitting all-rounder made waves in the domestic circuit last season itself but slipped down the radar after inconsistent returns, albeit due to a poor role given for the Bangalore based franchise in the Indian T20 League. Dube has 177 runs in five innings at 88.5 in this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy with his runs coming at a strike rate of 146.28. He has also taken four wickets while going at a very reasonable economy rate.

Sandeep Sharma 

Sandeep Sharma's new ball ability is often raved about. He has showcased it multiple times in the Indian T20 League and despite the odd call-up for India, he never retained it and was quickly dropped. India now have their eyes on Deepak Chahar in a similar role but with the T20 World Cup coming up, they would be testing the waters and a swing bowler like Sandeep can be invaluable. His Vijay Hazare returns of 17 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 13.53 further his credentials.

Nitish Rana

Rana has 278 runs in 7 matches this tournament for Delhi and is their second highest run-scorer. He has averaged 55.6 while scoring a hundred and carries on his good form from the Indian T20 League where he shone for the Kolkata franchise. It is his all-round skills that make Rana an exciting option, one who could replace Kedar Jadhav in the national setup. Rana has 12 wickets in 7 matches this season and has out-bowled his spin counterpart, Pawan Negi. At just 25 years of age, his future appears bright.

Featured image courtesy: AFP / Prakash Singh

Discovery India will unravel the trials and tribulations of aspiring cricketers from India in a new show All Access: The Contenders. The new show will take viewers through the journey of sacrifice and discipline of six aspiring cricketers who are ready to give it all as they dream to be the next T20 stars.

The cricketers whose journey has been covered as a part of the show include Shivam Dube (Mumbai), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rajasthan), Ishan Porel (West Bengal), Harvik Desai (Gujarat), and brothers Anmolpreet Singh and Prabhsimran Singh from Punjab.

The new show will give young aspirants a glimpse of what coaches, franchisees and team management look at while identifying their picks in this cricket frenzy nation. It also brings to the forefront how difficult it is to stay relevant in the ever-changing dynamics of the shorter format of the game, emphasizing on why it’s just not about that one moment of glory but to live up and maintain that success day in and out. The 4-part series will be aired every Tuesday, starting April 9 on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD World.

Speaking about the concept, Zulfia Waris, Vice President, Premium Digital networks, Discovery Communications India, said, “The series provides a Discovery lens to the journey of budding Indian cricket stars who live a disciplined, devoted (to the extent of being monotonous lifestyle) where one practice session follows another as the players seek perfection in all facets of the game with a singular aim of being the next cricket superstar of India. The stiff competition in India’s most popular game only heightens the uncertainty as only the best of the best will have a real shot to fame.�?/p>

The show features eminent ex-cricketers, experts, coaches including Virender Sehwag, Kiran More, Irfan Pathan, Graeme Smith, Jonty Rhode, Tom Moody and experts like Ayaz Memon, Joy Bhattacharjya, franchise owner like Parth Jindal (co-owner Delhi Capitals), who give viewers an understanding on how this glory isn’t as easy and quick as it seems.