Rinku Singh out of T20 World Cup 2026 reckoning? India's squad for SA series hint of things to come

Rinku Singh will end 2025 with just 4 T20I matches to his name, in one of which he didn't even bat.

Two months ago, Rinku Singh hit the winning runs to complete a title run at the 2025 Asia Cup. It was ‘God’s Plan’, as Rinku often says. He hadn’t played a game for Team India in the T20 tournament, and if not for Hardik Pandya getting injured, he wouldn’t have even played. That’s how fickle cricket can be.

But things don’t always go your way. With the India vs South Africa T20I series round the corner, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 15-man squad for the 5-match series. And Rinku isn’t included. He was part of the team in Australia, but didn’t even bat once. And now, Rinku has been dropped.

Considered a mainstay as the designated finisher, the left-handed batter has slowly been sidelined as India opts for all-rounders under head coach Gautam Gambhir. One has to wonder whether this means that Rinku’s out of the reckoning for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

No Rinku Singh in the T20 World Cup 2026?

Including the India vs South Africa T20I series, the Men in Blue are scheduled to play 10 matches before facing the USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Now, Rinku’s already out of five of these games. But it’s safe to assume India’s squad won’t look much different from what it is right now.

The New Zealand series, which will be India’s warm-up for the T20 World Cup, might offer a clearer look, but it doesn’t look great for Rinku’s chances. As mentioned above, Gambhir has an affinity for all-rounders, and India has picked four: Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube. If Rinku were to come into the team, it’d be at the expense of one of them.

In truth, only one of Washington and Dube can make a place, but both offer more than Rinku does. Considering the T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, you need good spinners and good batters against spin. Washington and Dube check these boxes. Plus, they have another skill. Jitesh Sharma is also a roadblock. Like Rinku, he’s a designated finisher. However, he offers more as a wicketkeeper.

The T20 World Cup door has probably closed on Rinku, and it’s not his fault or anyone else’s, but that’s how things are sometimes.

India’s squad for South Africa T20I series

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc, subject to fitness), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sunda