New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) The Government of India’s Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) has approved an out-of-turn promotion for Indian cricketer Sneh Rana in recognition of her exceptional performances in the country’s triumph in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.

India lifted their maiden World Cup title last month after defeating South Africa by 52 runs at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. It marked a historic win in the history of Indian cricket as the Women in Blue clinched their first-ever ICC title across formats.

Almost every member of the winning contingent was conferred with different honours and recognised with awards, with Rana now receiving a promotion from the Railways.

According to an official Railway Board communication issued to Northern Railway, Rana has been elevated to the Group ‘B’ Gazetted post of Officer on Special Duty (Sports) in Level 8 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix. The promotion falls under the Out-of-Turn Promotion (OTP) scheme, which rewards exceptional sporting achievements.

The Railway Board has directed Northern Railway to take necessary action to implement the promotion and assign Rana to the OSD (Sports) role or another suitable Group ‘B’ position.

The order was signed by the Director of Establishment (Sports) and Secretary of the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), with copies of the communication also sent to the National Railway Sports Association, besides the all-rounder.

The cricketer shared a copy of the order on X, captioning it, “Heartfelt thanks to @RailMinIndia for recognising the efforts and promoting me for the post of ‘Officer on Special Duty'(Sports). Railways is the best organisation to be employed in, as a sports person. It motivates us to be at our best always. Gratitude!”

Rana recently went under the hammer during the Women’s Premier League 2025 auction and was roped in by the Delhi Capitals for the upcoming edition. Having represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru last season, Rana will now be seen playing with her India teammates Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma in DC colours.

–IANS

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