Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum says young batter Rinku Singh has been their find of the ongoing IPL season and the franchise will invest in him in the coming years. Rinku, who nearly pulled off an epic win with his breathtaking batting against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday, earned high praise from McCullum.
"Absolutely he (Rinku) sure has (been the find of the season). Rinku is a player who KKR will invest in, no doubt, over the next few years and we will see him really progress and may even challenge for higher honours in time," McCullum, who is set to take over as England's next Test head coach, said at the post-match press conference.
Rinku, who scored 40 off just 15 balls, almost took his team to victory in their last league game against LSG at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday. He was dismissed on the penultimate ball following a stunning catch by Evan Lewis.
The 24-year-Rinku, a left-handed batter and an off-break bowler, has been a revelation for KKR this season. Among others, he played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 42 against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.
"Not too many people are able to bat in middle-order and sort of be able to try (and) pull games out of the fire like he (Rinku) has almost done for us on a couple of occasions this year. Just a great guy and (I) am really pleased for him.
"I am heading in a different direction with the challenge of being able to coach England in front of me, but I will follow all KKR boys, particularly Rinku as well and all the guys I had to do fair bit in the last few years," McCullum signed off.