Former India batter Manoj Tiwary slammed the Kolkata Knight Riders management for the poor handling of vice-captain Rinku Singh during the IPL 2026 season.
Suffering their fifth defeat in six games against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday night, Tiwary questioned KKR’s decision to hold Rinku back in the batting order, even behind spin-bowling all-rounder Anukul Roy.
Despite suffering a batting collapse, KKR only sent Rinku out to bat at number 7. The left-hander fell for one off two deliveries as the Titans bowled them out for 180 in 20 overs.
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“We saw the changes they made to the batting order. Anukul Roy was sent ahead. When you promote him ahead of Rinku Singh, you are indirectly signalling him that we don’t trust you at all, and that is why we are sending Anukul Roy ahead of you. Rinku Singh has been your asset, and you are not sending him even ahead of Anukul Roy. The way Rinku Singh was broken, and looking at his demeanour while walking back, he was completely heartbroken,” the former KKR batter Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
“He knew deep inside that what happened was not right with me. This should not have happened. But what can a person do? Where you should have given him confidence, you took away more of his confidence,” he added.
Tiwary also said that the 2024 champions are likely to finish at the bottom of the standings if they don’t make a decisive overhaul in their gameplan. While all-rounder Cameron Green chipped in with his first half-century of the season, the No. 4 batter could not make any impact in the death overs.
“After that, Cameron Green’s brain fade started. He took a single off the third ball. If he had played all six balls, he could have hit a couple of fours or sixes. So, a lot of stuff is happening that is not right. If KKR keeps playing like this, the No.10 spot will be permanent,” Tiwary said.
