WATCH: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6… 55 in 24, star player from Shah Rukh Khan's KKR explodes in T20 league, bowlers beg for mercy, name is…
Meerut Mavericks posted their third win in succession as they defeated Lucknow Falcons in match no. 8 of UP T20 League 2026 season.
KKR star Rinku Singh is captain of Meerut Mavericks team in UP T20 League. (Photo: IANS)
Meerut Mavericks vs Lucknow Falcons UP T20 League 2026: Team India and Kolkata Knight Riders batter Rinku Singh came up with an explosive and match-winning fifty for Meerut Mavericks against Lucknow Falcons in match No. 8 of the ongoing UP T20 League 2026 match at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Rinku smashed 26 runs in the space of 5 deliveries in a knock which was studded with six sixs.
Rinku Singh's Meerut Mavericks were faced with a daunting chase of 184 and were lagging behind the DLS par score as rain began to fall in the 17th over. With the match on the line, Rinku smashed 26 runs off just five deliveries in the 17th over bowled by Navneet Kumar.
His explosive, unbeaten 55 off 24 deliveries propelled the Mavericks to 154/6 in 16.5 overs, five runs ahead of the DLS requirement just as heavy rain halted play, securing an improbable victory for his side.
WATCH Rinku Singh's explosive fifty in UP T20 League 2026 match HERE
Reflecting on his captain's heroics, Tyagi, who shared the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dressing room with Rinku during IPL 2026 and is now playing under his leadership at Meerut Mavericks, detailed what makes the southpaw such a formidable force. Rinku was retained for Rs 12 crore by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's KKR ahead of IPL 2026.
"At the number he goes to bat, the way he performs at the end... if you look across the entire world, he almost comes in the Top 5 batters who come in at this number and dominate the game like this. As long as he is at the crease, we always have that confidence that whatever the situation is, the match can be made for us. He has that confidence, and so do we. As a player, the amount of hard work he has put in, hardly anyone here has done that. The result of that is something he gets, and our team benefits as well," KKR pacer Kartik Tyagi said about Mavericks skipper Rinku Singh.
Rinku's reputation as an elite death-overs batter is backed by his consistent track record in the shortest format. Operating predominantly in high-pressure finishing roles, he has scored 702 runs in 48 T20 Internationals at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 156, alongside some explosive knocks in the IPL.
Beyond his batting exploits, Tyagi emphasized the aggressive and fearless mindset Rinku instills in the squad as a leader. "Playing under his captaincy gives a lot of confidence. If you look at his attitude, we stay on the ground with this mindset that we just have to dominate. Not just win, but dominate. He thinks that way and motivates us like that. Then when we bowl, our expectations from ourselves are also in that way that we have to go out and dominate," Tyagi said about the captaincy of Rinku Singh.
Following their thrilling win over Lucknow, the Meerut Mavericks have now won all three of their opening matches this season. They remain the only unbeaten team in UP T20 Season 4 and sit clear at the top of the points table.
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