The Uttar Pradesh government has appointed Indian cricketer Rinku Singh as the Regional Sports Officer. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will present the official appointment letter to Rinku during a grand felicitation ceremony at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, honoring him for his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket.
Rinku was part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2026 under the leadership of captain Suryakumar Yadav. During the recent ICC tournament, the left-handed batsman faced a personal tragedy. He traveled between matches and Greater Noida when his father Khanchandra Singh was battling terminal stage IV cancer.
Rinku Singh is ready to attend the UP appointment ceremony amid preparations for IPL 2026.
Rinku Singh is currently preparing for the upcoming IPL 2026 season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). According to a report in India Today, the franchise management has allowed him to leave the practice camp for a day to attend the government appointment ceremony.
The 28-year-old has represented the India national cricket team in 45 international matches, scoring 655 runs at an impressive strike rate of 155.73. After his brief visit to Lucknow, Rinku Singh will rejoin KKR ahead of their opening IPL match on Sunday, March 29.
Kolkata Knight Riders will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium. The three-time champions will play their first home match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 2 at the Eden Gardens.
Although no official remuneration details have been announced, regional sports officer roles generally fall within the standard pay scale. Rinku Singh is expected to get a basic salary of around ₹35,400, with the total earning after allowances being between ₹50,000 and ₹60,000.
| Rinku Singh – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Performance | |
| match-wise statistics | |
|
match |
it goes |
| India vs America | 6 |
| india vs namibia | 1 |
| india vs pakistan | 11* |
| India vs Netherlands | 6* |
| India vs South Africa | 0 |
Yogi Adityanath will honor athletes with Laxman and Rani Laxmibai awards
During the Lok Bhawan ceremony, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also honor nine exceptional athletes with the prestigious Laxman Award and Rani Lakshmibai Award.
Recipients of the award this year include athletes like hockey player Uttam Singh, gymnast Abhijeet Kumar, para-canoeing athlete Yash Kumar and chess player Vantika Agarwal.
Each awardee will receive a bronze statuette, certificate of honor and prize money of ₹3.11 lakh. Additionally, the Government of Uttar Pradesh will provide financial assistance through the Eklavya Sports Fund to support nineteen developing athletes across the state.
UP government rewards athletes with key administrative roles
Along with Rinku Singh, the Uttar Pradesh government is rewarding five other international medal-winning athletes with prestigious administrative roles. India’s men’s hockey star Rajkumar Pal and Paralympic high jump gold medalist Praveen Kumar will be appointed as Deputy Superintendents of Police.
Apart from this, Paralympic javelin throw silver medalist Ajit Singh and Paralympic runner Simran will serve as District Panchayat Raj Officers.
Meanwhile, Paralympic runner Pritipal has secured appointment as Block Development Officer under the Uttar Pradesh International Medal Winners Direct Recruitment Rules established by the state government.
These government appointments ensure long-term financial stability for the athletes who make the country proud and inspire the younger generation across Uttar Pradesh to pursue professional sports careers.
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