The Uttar Pradesh government has honoured batter Rinku Singh for his contributions to India’s title-winning campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026. Suryakumar Yadav and his team created history by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final, becoming the first side to successfully defend the T20 World Cup title and win it for the third time. The tournament, however, proved emotionally challenging for Rinku, who lost his father to cancer midway but still rejoined the squad for the remaining matches.
To recognise Rinku’s dedication and contribution to the national team, the UP government has decided to appoint him as a Regional Sports Officer (RSO). According to a report by India Today, the state government has launched a scheme under which athletes will be provided government jobs and cash rewards for outstanding performances at national and international events.
In addition to Rinku, India men’s hockey team player Rajkumar Pal will be appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). Hailing from Ghazipur, Rajkumar was part of India’s bronze medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics.
Paralympic high jump gold medallist Praveen Kumar (Gautam Buddh Nagar) will also be appointed as a DSP. Paralympic javelin throw silver medallist Ajit Singh (Etawah) will be appointed as a District Panchayat Raj Officer, and Paralympic 200m bronze medallist Simran (Ghaziabad) will receive the same post.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will present the appointment letters to these athletes during a felicitation ceremony at Lok Bhavan.
Besides the job appointments, nine players will also be honoured with the Lakshman Award and the Rani Lakshmibai Award for the year 2024-25. Each awardee will receive a cash prize of Rs 3.11 lakh along with a bronze statuette.
Lakshman Award (General Category) recipients:
Uttam Singh (Ghazipur) – Hockey
Vinay (Varanasi) – Para powerlifting
Abhijeet Kumar (Prayagraj) – Gymnastics
Vikrant Balian (Meerut) – Wrestling
Sagar Dangi (Baghpat) – Shooting
Rani Lakshmibai Award (General Category) recipients:
Bhanu Pathak (Gorakhpur) – Mountaineering
Deepak Kumar (Ghaziabad) – Mountaineering
Tanya Chaudhary (Saharanpur) – Athletics
Tanushree Pandey (Lucknow) – Soft tennis
Om Yadav – Soft tennis
Rajkumar Pal (Ghazipur) – Hockey
Yash Kumar (Agra) – Para canoeing
Muskan Yadav (Prayagraj) – Soft tennis
Abhay Singh (Varanasi) – Kayaking and canoeing
Rani Lakshmibai Award (Para Category):
Shravan Kumar (Baghpat), Yash Tomar (Baghpat), and Ishan Khan (Baghpat).
Pragati Kesarwani (Lucknow) and Vantika Agarwal (Gautam Buddh Nagar).