Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 25 (ANI): Praising Indian batter Rinku Singh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that he has been given an appointment letter as a Regional Sports Officer by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Rinku rose to stardom by smashing Gujarat Titans' Yash Dayal during the IPL 2023 for five successive sixes in the final over during a tense chase of 200-odd runs for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and since then, has become an Asian Games gold medal winner, Asia Cup winner and, most recently, the T20 World Cup winner with Team India.

He has won Men in Blue several matches by playing the role of an explosive, six-hitting finisher down the order.

Speaking during a programme organised for the distribution of appointment letters and prize money to international medal-winning players on Wednesday, CM Yogi emphasised that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country giving prioirty to athletes in government services.

'UP is the first state in the country to give athletes priority in government service. So far, we have provided appointment letters to over 500 athletes for various police positions... For his performance in cricket and the Asian Games, Rinku Singh has been given an appointment letter as a Regional Sports Officer. He is already a part of a camp (KKR camp in the IPL), so he has gone there. Many other players have also got appointment letters here today,' he said.

Rinku has been named the vice-captain of KKR for the upcoming IPL 2026, taking on a new leadership role within the team.

Rinku will serve as the deputy to Ajinkya Rahane, stepping into the vice-captaincy role previously held by Venkatesh Iyer, who was acquired by defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 7 crore ahead of the season.

The announcement was made by KKR CEO Venky Mysore at the Knights Unplugged 3.0 event held in Kolkata on Tuesday.

'On behalf of everyone in the franchise, we're really delighted to announce that Rinku Singh will be the Vice-captain of the team. Rinku joined KKR in 2018 and has been a regular in the team ever since,' said Venky Mysore.

Rinku's form will be a big concern for the Knight Riders, as he had a sub-par T20 World Cup 2026, scoring just 24 runs in five innings. In the midst of the T20WC campaign, Rinku's father, Khanchand, also died after a battle with cancer. But after completing all the rituals, Rinku rejoined the squad, making this an extremely inspirational story emerging out of the tournament.

Also in the IPL, his performances have witnessed a decline since his breakout season in 2023, in which five successive sixes against Yash Dayal in a 200-plus run-chase against the Gujarat Titans (GT) launched him into stardom. Rinku's 2023 season saw him score 474 runs in 14 innings at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52, with four fifties.

However, since then, he has scored just 374 runs in 22 innings at an average of 23.37, with a best score of 38*. Rinku has played 59 matches for the side, scoring 1,099 runs at an average of 30.53.

Having scored 55 runs in two ODIs, Rinku has also played 45 T20Is for India, scoring 665 runs at an average of 39.11 in 33 innings at a strike rate of over 155, with three fifties to his name. (ANI)