3 days ago
Cricket, connections & courtship: How Rinku Singh met SP MP Priya Saroj
LUCKNOW: Cricketer Rinku Singh and Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj first crossed paths through one of Priya's friend's father, who is also a cricketer.
The connection eventually blossomed into a relationship, supported by both families.
According to Priya's father, Tufani Saroj, SP MLA from Kerakat in Jaunpur, the two had known each other for some time before formally announcing their intent to marry.
The couple's engagement is scheduled for June 8 in Lucknow, followed by a wedding ceremony on November 18 at Hotel Taj in Varanasi (Kashi).
Confirming the dates, Tufani Saroj said on Sunday that preparations are already underway to host grand celebrations.
Prominent political leaders, especially from the Samajwadi Party, along with cricket stars, film personalities, and industrialists are expected to attend the events.
In January, Tufani Saroj publicly announced the upcoming marriage between his daughter and the T20 cricket sensation after the two families held initial discussions to formalise the alliance.
Like Rinku, who rose to fame by smashing five sixes in the final over during an IPL 2023 match against Gujarat Titans—completing the highest-ever last-over chase of 29 runs for Kolkata Knight Riders—Priya too had a spectacular rise.
She became one of the youngest parliamentarians in the country by winning the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Machhlishahr (reserved), a constituency previously represented three times by her father before he shifted to contest from the Kerakat assembly seat in 2022.
With Rinku focusing on the T20 series against England and the IPL, and Priya involved in her political campaign, both families agreed to decide the wedding dates only after the couple could sit together post-elections and tournaments.
Now, with the dates set, the families are preparing to celebrate the union of two rising stars in cricket and politics.
