Rinku Singh, who has been in and out of the Indian senior team, claimed his first major title as captain after the Meerut Mavericks thrashed Lucknow Falcons in UP T20 league 2026 final
Published: September 7, 2026, 11:36 AM IST
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Rinku’s Meerut Mavericks beat Bhuvneshwer’s Lucknow Falcons to lift UPT20 trophy(Credits: UPT20)
Indian batter Rinku Singh might have flopped but his side, the Meerut Mavericks produced a sensational performance to reclaim the Uttar Pradesh T20 league crown after beating the Lucknow Falcons, led by veteran seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, in the finale of the competitionIt was Meerut’s fourth straight appearance in the title decider and this time they claimed a 94-run victory at the Ekana Stadium.
Meerut Mavericks have been the most consistent team in the competition and they showcased exactly that as they won the UP T20 league title for the second time in their history and first since 2024It was a massive result for the Rinku Singh-led side, which lost just three times in the league this year.
During last year’s finale against the Kashi Riders, Meerut Mavericks had lost in an one-sided affair by eight wickets but in this edition, they seemed to have learned their lessonsExactly a year later, the Mavericks are the champions of the competition.
After Rinku Singh won the toss and decided to bat first, the Mavericks posted a highly competitive total of 203 in an usual sluggish track at the Ekana StadiumThe charge was led by opening batter Divyansh Joshi, who smashed an outstanding century and remained in the crease until the 19th over.
He had five crucial partnerships with Swastik Chikara (18 off 14), Rituraj Sharma (24 off 17), Akshay Dubey (15 off 10), skipper Rinku Singh (1 off 2) and Divyansh Rajput (13 off 12)Divyansh Joshi himself scored 105 off just 40 deliveries, that too, at a daunting strike rate of over 260Joshi’s knock included a total of 12 fours and seven massive sixes, helping Meerut Mavericks finish at 203/7.
In response, Lucknow Falcons’ innings never got going as the entire batting line-up faltered under the immense pressureThey also weren’t able to read the track properly and Meerut’s smart bowling only made it tougher for them.
CHAMPIONS OF UPT20 🏆
Rinku Singh’s Meerut Mavericks lift the crown after an incredible, dominant campaign 👑#UPT20 #RinkuSingh pic.twitter.com/vVGUgzRyYK
— FanCode (@FanCode) September 7, 2026
The top three batters, Mohammad Saif (10 off 12), Himanshu Singh (5 off 7) and Aaradhya Yadav (5 off 6) shared just 20 runs between them, while number four batter Ajeet Verma, who was the only standout performer, amassed only 39 runs off 24.
The following batters, except Kritagya Kumar Singh (21 off 18), could not even get to double figures and all the credits should go to left-arm spinner Vishal Chaudhary who racked up figures of 4/24Karan Chaudhary, Vijay Kumar and Yash Garg shared one wicket each whereas Zeeshan Ansari bagged a brace to bowl Lucknow Falcons out for just 109 within 16 overs.
Divyansh Joshi was adjudged player of the match for his sensational century.
Rinku Singh to get recalled for national side?
Rinku Singh has not been a regular starter for the Indian team ever since the Men in Blue defended the ICC T20 World Cup title earlier this yearIn fact, he was ignored by the team management for the series against England but was called-up for the low profile tour of Zimbabwe.
The left-handed explosive batter is also not part of the Indian team’s Asian Games 2026 squad and this has raised concerns as to where Rinku Singh’s career is headed atThe success in the UP T20 league as the captain is definitely a good sign but will it earn him a return to the senior side? Time will tell.
