Rinku Singh’s omission from India’s 15-member T20I squad for the five-match series against South Africa, announced on December 3, 2025, has sparked widespread debate on social media.
The 28-year-old finisher, known for his IPL heroics and domestic exploits, was dropped alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Reddy to accommodate the return of Hardik Pandya and the inclusion of Shubman Gill, whose selection is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI.
Under captain Suryakumar Yadav, the squad appears to prioritise all-round balance, with Shivam Dube earmarked as the primary finisher. This has sidelined Rinku Singh despite his proven ability to perform in the middle order during crucial moments.
Singh enjoyed a strong IPL 2025 season, scoring 206 runs at an average of 29.43. While he did not register any fifties or centuries in the IPL, he was phenomenal in the UPT20 league, averaging 62 from nine innings, including a century. His form in the Ranji Elite 2025-26 season was also outstanding, amassing 341 runs across two centuries. Despite this, he finds himself excluded, even after being part of India’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have been vocal about the decision:
"GG is stuck with his all-rounders obsession and guess what, he dropped Rinku Singh from T20I now" — @thecricketwood
"Rinku over any finisher. Poor guy deserves a spot for sure" — @akshaynatarajan
"First Rinku Singh was left out of the playing 11 & now out of the squad. What wrong did he really do? Gautam Gambhir & Ajit Agarkar are scumbags." — @Vipul_Espeaks
"I know people will judge me after this, but after Shubman Gill's inclusion in the T20I setup, the careers of Samson and Rinku are totally destroyed." — @inside_out23
"Why no Rinku Singh with 40+ avg and 160+ strike rate?? Ajit Agarkar is the worst thing that has happened to Indian cricket." — @Xotic_CS
"Agarkar is a total fraud. Jitesh Sharma a fraud is in the team, Harshit Rana an idiot is in the team. Why Rinku Singh is dropped? Ajit Agarkar is a fraud attention seeker nothing else." — @officialAkarshh
Many fans have questioned the selectors’ reasoning, arguing that benching a specialist finisher like Rinku Singh could hurt India’s depth ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Despite his exclusion, Rinku’s resilience and consistent domestic performances have only amplified calls for accountability from the selection panel.
