VARANASI: T20 star Rinku Singh’s match has almost been fixed. The 27-year-old cricketer’s family is in advanced talks for a matrimonial alliance between him and Priya Saroj, Samajwadi Party MP from UP’s Machhlishahr, a reserved constituency.
Saroj, 26, is the youngest woman MP in the present Lok Sabha. Her father, Tufani Saroj, a three-time LS MP who now represents Kerakat assembly seat (reserved) in the UP Vidhan Sabha, confirmed the development on Saturday.
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“Initial talks with Rinku Singh’s family ended on a positive note and decisions on engagement and wedding dates will be decided after Priya and Rinku sit together following the forthcoming parliamentary session and T20I series (against England),” he said.
Tufani Saroj, who was in Aligarh on Thursday for discussions with Rinku’s father, added, “The father of one of Priya’s friends was a cricketer. Rinku and Priya met through him. They have known each other for some time, and indicated that they would marry if their families consented.”
Social media was abuzz with talk about Rinku and Priya’s engagement on Friday, although both families made no comment on the issue. On Saturday, however, Tufani Saroj not only confirmed it but added that further talks would take place after the next parliamentary session ends on Feb 13. Since Rinku is busy too, with the series against England starting Jan 22, both families decided that plans would be finalised only when the two have time.

Rinku a rare instance of cricketer marrying an active politician
While cricket and Bollywood have seen several matches, Rinku’s would be a rare case of a cricketer marrying an active politician. Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja’s wife, Rivaba Solanki, is an MLA from Jamnagar (North). However, she joined BJP only in 2019, three years after her marriage, and was elected to the Gujarat assembly in 2022. While Rivaba has been frequently spotted cheering for Team India in stadiums, Jadeja had campaigned for her in the 2022 polls.
Rinku represented UP in the under-16, under-19 and under-23 levels and piled up 953 runs in 10 Ranji Trophy matches in 2018–19. He shot into the limelight in April 2023 by hitting five sixes in the final over of a match against Gujarat Titans to help his team, Kolkata Knight Riders, successfully chase down 29 runs — the highest-ever chase in the last over in IPL’s history. Incidentally, Rinku is considered to be a strong candidate for KKR’s captaincy this year.
Rinku’s rise from humble origins to stardom has been hailed as one of the feel-good stories of Indian sports. He also had an impressive start to his international career. In Jan 2024, he and Rohit Sharma posted an unbeaten 190-run partnership, a world record for the 5th wicket in T20I. Rinku was also a reserve player in India’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament. Priya Saroj had a sensational entry into politics by winning an LS election on an SP ticket at the age of 25.