Indian cricketer Rinku Singh and Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj are set to marry on December 4, bringing together two rising figures from Uttar Pradesh in a ceremony planned at the Ramada Hotel in Lucknow.
Preparations are already in motion at both families’ homes, with the guest list expected to remain intimate – family, close relatives and a select group of special invitees. For a player who has become one of Indian cricket’s most recognisable finishers and a young MP quickly finding her voice in national politics, the occasion marks a very personal milestone away from the spotlight of stadiums and Parliament.
From a fan page to a life partner
Their story did not begin at a political rally or a cricket function, but in the quieter, oddly impersonal world of social media.
During the Covid-affected years, when the IPL shifted to Mumbai, Rinku was scrolling online when a photograph stopped him. It appeared on a fan page related to voting in Priya’s village. The image stayed with him. He found her interesting, felt an instant pull, yet hesitated over the first move.
Then the dynamic flipped.
Priya liked a few of his Instagram photos. That small gesture changed everything. The hesitation disappeared, replaced by a direct message that opened the door to regular conversations. The chats grew more frequent, often before his matches, and by 2022, as Rinku later told The Times of India, he realised this was no casual friendship. What started as a single social media interaction had quietly turned into something far deeper.
The relationship moved steadily rather than dramatically. On June 8, 2025, at The Centrum Hotel in Lucknow, they made it official with an engagement ceremony that formally introduced the couple to a wider circle.
In the stands, not in the shadows
Priya has not hidden from the public gaze that comes with dating a high-profile cricketer. She has been a visible presence at Rinku’s games, including at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where she was seen cheering for the Kolkata Knight Riders batter from the stands.
Those images – the MP in the crowd, tracking every ball, celebrating his boundaries – have added a human layer to a player often defined by his late-overs hitting. Rinku, for his part, has spoken openly about their journey since the engagement, allowing fans a rare look at the person behind the finisher’s mask.
Now, more than a year after that engagement, the focus shifts from stadium lights to wedding lights. Lucknow, the city that has framed key moments in their relationship, will host their next chapter.
Rinku is currently not part of India’s squad for the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan, which leaves his cricket calendar clear for a different kind of deadline. December 4 is now circled for reasons that have nothing to do with chasing a target or closing out a game – yet it may prove to be the most important finish of his year.
