'Priya was crying on the phone': Rinku Singh recalls 'life-changing' moment and how it helped his relationship

Rinku and Priya got engaged in a private ceremony in Lucknow earlier in June. (Instagram/rinkukumar12)

India batter Rinku Singh made history by hitting five sixes in as many balls in IPL 2023. His efforts drove Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a sensational win over Gujarat Titans (GT), also making the moment a monumental episode in the cricketer's career.

Rinku blasted those six against Yash Dayal as KKR required 28 runs in the final five balls. The cricketer during his appearance on Raj Shamani's podcast discussed the moment in length and mentioned how the exploits helped his relationship with Priya Saroj, his fiancée, at the time. In addition, Rinku disclosed that Priya, a Lok Sabha member, became emotional at that point and her father was unaware of his identity at the time.

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"So she (Priya) was crying on the phone. Saachi didi (Nitish Rana's wife) told me she was emotional. It was such a big day, five sixes were hit, people had started to know me. So I was feeling that maybe things could become easier about marriage and all that. At that time her father didn't know who Rinku Singh is. He didn't know anything. He had no interest in cricket. Yes, so he didn't have that much idea," said Rinku.

The southpaw also acknowledged how the knock changed his life and how hitting those five sixes made him famous overnight. "That moment for me was life-changing. All the hard work I had done in my life, I got the reward in that match. My followers, Instagram followers started increasing, recognition came, from there everything changed. Overnight everything changed. Name, followers, everything was given by the one above that day," he added.

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Rinku and Priya got engaged in a private ceremony in Lucknow earlier in June. He is presently with the Indian squad in the UAE for the Asia Cup 2025. India launch their title defense against UAE on Wednesday and are slated to meet arch rivals Pakistan on Sunday. Both games will take place in Dubai. India will then travel to Abu Dhabi for their final group stage fixture against Oman, scheduled for September 19.