"When I didn't have this, I realized the value of money"- Rinku Singh is fine with earning just ₹55 lakh in IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh's rise to fame over the past year has probably made many forget that he earns just ₹55 lakh playing in the IPL. He was picked up by KKR for that amount during the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Arguably one of the best finishers in T20 cricket that India currently have at their disposal, it might have been understandable if Rinku felt that he was earning a lot less than what he deserved. However, the southpaw denied this and explained how grateful he was to get whatever money he was getting.
Rinku Singh told Dainik Jagran about the humble beginnings that taught him the value of money.
"When I started, I had not even thought that I would earn so much. At that time, I was a kid and if I got even 10-5 rupees, I thought I would get it somehow. Now I am getting 55 lakh rupees, so this is a lot, I should be happy with whatever God gives me. I don't think at all that I should have got this much money or that much. I am very happy even with 55 lakh rupees. When I didn't have this, I realized the value of money," he said.
In one of the videos posted by KKR, Rinku expressed that he wanted to win a trophy at the senior level in competitive cricket. That dream of his came true as KKR beat SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final to win their third title.
Rinku Singh understands the value of time as well
Rinku Singh averages an incredible 89 in 15 T20Is that he has played for India and has scored 356 runs at an incredible strike rate of 176.23. Yet, he is just a traveling reserve and not in the 15-man squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, with his exclusion causing outrage among the fans.
However, Rinku is pretty level-headed with whatever he has gained or lost as he believes in staying in the present.
"If I tell you the truth today, then all this is an illusion. You did not bring anything with you, nor will you take anything with you. You never know when time will change. I would like to say that you have to go back the same way you came. Stay grounded, what else," he stated.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.
Reserves – Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.