Rinku Singh: How the son of an LPG cylinder delivery man became an IPL star

"You don't have to tell anyone that you mop floors at a tuition centre. Just come in the morning, do the cleaning and leave. Nobody will know. But I didn't like the idea," Rinku Singh had once narrated his ordeal.

These were his father's words to a young Rinku before he began playing at Under-16 level for Uttar Pradesh.

The family of seven, which included five sons, found father Khanchand's meagre income from delivering LPG cylinders door-to-door, insufficient for financial sustenance and most of them had to do odd jobs to make ends meet.

Life, indeed was tough for Rinku and his family.

However, the perseverance kept him going and now he has become a household name after his sensational power hitting in Indian Premier League on Sunday night.

Not even the world’s best batters would have backed themselves to hit five consecutive sixes with their team requiring 28 from the last five balls, but Rinku did exactly that, producing a terrific knock that will be remembered for years.

His 48 not out from 21 balls included six sixes and one four, with Kolkata Knight Riders nailing down a 200 plus chase in the final over against Gujarat Titans.

"I am not educated enough to fall back on academics. It is only cricket that could have taken me forward and it wasn't just one of the options but the only option," he said.

On Sunday, the 25-year-old from Aligarh didn't just hit his UP teammate Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes to pull off an incredible IPL win, but each and every ball that soared over the ropes at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was a statement in itself.

His family has been able to bid poverty goodbye with his IPL money and he is now enjoying stardom in the world's richest cricket tournament.

"My father struggled a lot, I come from a farmer's family. Every ball that I hit out of the ground was dedicated to the people who sacrificed so much for me," Rinku said after his match-winning knock.