When a politician’s backing disappears: Rinku Singh finds himself out of favour

Of all the surprises the selectors sprung when announcing the T20 squad on Saturday, Rinku Singh’s omission stood out the most. The Uttar Pradesh batter, who was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad, suddenly finds himself out of the reckoning.

Sources suggest that one of the influential politician who had previously backed Rinku’s inclusion in the T20 setup — even ahead of Shubman Gill at one stage — may not be in a position to exert the same influence. The development has once again fuelled discussions about how selections are shaped behind the scenes.

Officially, however, the message remains unchanged: every member of the Indian team is selected purely on merit, not on political backing or personal pull.

Sources said that Rinku has been included in most of India’s ICC event squads in recent years, despite often missing out on bilateral series. He was also a part of the Asia Cup winning team. Despite inconsistent performances over an extended period, Rinku continued to find a place in India’s T20 setup and was also part of the Champions Trophy squad under Rohit Sharma.

It is understood that when then T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav became aware of efforts to push Rinku’s case, potentially at the expense of Gill, he intervened and made his preference known. Eventually, Rinku was included in the 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 Indian team.

Now that Surya is no longer part of the leadership group and Rinku has been left out of the squad, there are murmurs within cricketing circles that the batter could find it difficult to force his way back into India’s T20 setup if he no longer enjoys the backing of the board official.

Rinku is not a player who would ordinarily need any backing to earn a place in the Indian team. He built his reputation by finishing games with remarkable ease and delivering under pressure. However, his recent form appears to have suffered, partly because he has not consistently batted in his preferred role.

Rinku also served as the vice-captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, and it was often speculated that his former mentor, Gautam Gambhir, played a key role in facilitating his entry into India’s T20 setup. Whether that perception was fair or not, his omission from the latest squad has once again reignited discussions about the factors that influence selection decisions.