Fact-check: Viral claim that Sanju Samson was appointed DSP in Kerala Police is false

Sanju Samson scripted history with a stellar performance in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, winning the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award. Despite playing only five matches in the tournament, Samson emerged as India’s top scorer with 321 runs. He amassed these runs at an average of 80.25 and an impressive strike rate of 199.37. His performances in crucial matches, including the semi-final and final, played a key role in India lifting the title.

Samson’s consistency throughout the tournament stood out, as he delivered under pressure in multiple high-stakes encounters. He registered two half-centuries and a century, anchoring the innings when needed while also accelerating at critical moments. During critical stages of the tournament, Samson also broke several records with his match-winning contributions. He became one of the few players to maintain a strike rate close to 200 in a World Cup while scoring over 300 runs.  

Meanwhile, posts have been circulating on social media claiming that, as a mark of respect, the Government of Kerala appointed Samson as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Kerala Police. These posts also share an image of Samson in a police uniform, appearing as a top-ranking Kerala Police officer. The caption reads: Sanju Samson has been honored with the rank of DSP by the Kerala Police, in recognition of his contributions to Indian cricket and his influence as a sports icon among Kerala's youth. He joins a distinguished group of Indian cricketers who have been awarded honorary ranks in the police or armed forces. Congratulations to Sanju Samson.

Here’s the screenshot of the claim.

Viral claim is archived here.

Fact Check:

The claim that the Kerala government appointed Sanju Samson as a DSP in the Kerala Police is false. No cabinet decision has been made regarding his appointment.

To verify the claim, keyword searches were conducted, but no credible media reports supporting the viral claim were found. For further clarification, we contacted the Kerala Police Media Centre. They confirmed that the circulating claim is false and that no such appointment announcement has been made so far. 

We also reached out to the Chief Minister’s Office for further details, and they informed us that this is merely a false claim circulating online. 

We examined the circulating image using AI detection tools like Hive Moderation, which indicated that it is AI-generated.

Hence, the claim that cricketer Sanju Samson has been appointed as a DSP in the Kerala Police as a mark of respect is false.