On Friday evening, Uttarakhand’s Raghvi Bisht and Nandini Kashyap – ‘greatest buddies’ ever since they began taking part in collectively on the age group stage for the state as much as senior stage – acquired their first call-ups to the senior Indian squad collectively. On Sunday morning, youngsters G Kamalini, Joshitha VJ, and Niki Prasad have been on the sphere collectively for the India U19 facet, comfortably successful the Asia Cup match in opposition to Pakistan U19. In the meantime in Ahmedabad, on a relaxation day within the Ladies’s Senior ODI Trophy, Mumbai’s Simran Shaikh was glued to the proceedings in Bengaluru nervously, hoping at the very least somebody would decide up the paddle for her.
By Sunday evening, all their lives had modified as they discovered new properties within the Ladies’s Premier League. It was the defining narrative to emerge from the WPL 2025 public sale, with 14 out of the 19 obtainable slots going to uncapped Indian cricketers. On the flip facet, not one of the 10 capped Indian gamers who have been a part of the ultimate shortlist discovered takers, together with Sneh Rana and Poonam Yadav.
When the primary set of 12 capped gamers glided by largely quietly, it was changing into evident that each one groups – regardless of having a reasonably ample purse to choose up skilled gamers – have been ready for the second set and past. With the highest Indian internationals anyway retained by the franchises, it wasn’t completely stunning. However the proceedings on Sunday have been proof that the scouting data obtainable with groups is significantly better now than maybe it was when the league started in 2023.
Sixteen-year-old Kamalini, a wicket-keeper batter from Tamil Nadu, kickstarted a severe bidding warfare between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. The successful bid of Rs 1.6 crore from MI didn’t come as a shock to Aarti Sankaran, former Tamil Nadu cricketer and Nationwide Cricket Academy-certified coach who has mentored the teenager, posted on X: “She is taking part in the WPL for the crew that wants her essentially the most and can use her one of the best. Mumbai Indians referred to as her for a number of trials. Charlotte Edwards (head coach) is aware of who she desires.”
That Kamalini was the star with the bat simply hours earlier with a 29-ball 44 in opposition to Pakistan U19 at Bayuemas Cricket Oval, Kuala Lumpur made the day all of the extra particular for her. Kamalini’s U19 teammates Niki (the crew captain) and Joshitha (promising pacer) went to DC and RCB respectively.
The costliest bid of the day went to Simran, the batter from Dharavi in Mumbai, with Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals eager so as to add her power-hitting to the lineup. Finally, Gujarat received their participant with head coach Michael Klinger effusive in reward of the ball-striking capability she has proven in home cricket.
For Raghvi and Nandini, the previous couple of days will need to have been a whirlwind. In a video posted by BCCI forward of the T20I sequence in opposition to West Indies, Nandini – who went to DC – recalled how she had messaged Raghvi – who went to RCB – on her birthday final yr. “I bear in mind telling her, ‘Bro, we have to play collectively for India too sometime.” Raghvi has saved that message. Their senior debuts should look ahead to now, however they’ve each made it to the WPL as properly collectively on the identical day. And to spherical off a powerful day for Uttarakhand, leg-spin bowling allrounder Prema Rawat generated severe curiosity earlier than touchdown a Rs 1.2 crore bid from defending champions RCB.
Away from the Indian picks, the headline recruitment was that of star West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin. The ‘World Boss’ was signed up for the inaugural version by Gujarat Giants, however controversy ensued earlier than the event began. The franchise introduced a substitute for her citing a scarcity of correct data over her health and Dotttin took to social media to write down she was “deeply disenchanted by what can solely, plausibly, be described as bewildering reasoning for my omission from the event.”
Both facet of that, she has retired and unretired from worldwide cricket, and despatched out a reminder of her class on the T20 World Cup and the Ladies’s Large Bash League, placing the ball cleanly as ever. Water beneath the bridge, then, as she is ready to lastly make her presence felt within the WPL.
TOP FIVE BIDS:
Simran Shaikh: Rs 1.9 crore to GG (Base: Rs 10 lakh)
Deandra Dottin: Rs 1.7 crore to GG (Base: Rs 50 lakh)
G Kamalini: Rs 1.6 crore to MI (Base: Rs 10 lakh)
Prema Rawat: Rs 1.2 crore to RCB (Base: Rs 10 lakh)
N Charani: Rs 55 lakh to DC (Base: Rs 10 lakh)
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