Fit-again Shreyanka Patil looks to relaunch herself from Women’s Premier League

Bengaluru: Shreyanka Patil was among India’s brightest young talents when she won the Purple Cap and the Emerging Player of the Tournament during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first-ever Women’s Premier League coronation in March 2024. 

However, it has not been smooth sailing for the Bengaluru girl as back-to-back injuries that required lengthy rehab programmes at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence have left her fighting for a national spot all over again. 

Recalling the dreadful period, Shreyanka said that it was mentally draining but a very good support system and conversations with India stars helped her come through. 

“It was hard mentally to be honest. I was down,” Shreyanka said in a media interaction on Wednesday before RCB’s WPL campaign opener against Mumbai Indians on January 9. 

“I spoke to many girls at CoE and then people like Bumrah (Jasprit), SKY (Suryakumar), Riyan (Parag) helped a lot. After hearing what they were going through, I kind of figured out my way to get out of the injury.”

While it was a joyous moment for the country when India lifted its first-ever ODI World Cup in November, it was “happy but also disappointing” for Shreyanka, who was in the India scheme of things before her injuries.  “ODI World Cup was a big miss for me. Very proud and happy that the girls won but it was also disappointing for me because I was not able to lift the trophy with them.”

However, Shreyanka has been taking small steps on her comeback trail, featuring for the Barbados Royals in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League in September, a first since October 2024.

While things have not been all colourful having picked just one wicket in five appearances, it did turn sweet when Shreyanka received a call from RCB about her retention before the mega auction. 

“Malo sir (Malolan Rangarajan) called me and said that I was retained. I was actually blank. I was shocked because for someone who has not played cricket for 13 months, it is not easy for a franchise to say I will back your skills. It was very emotional for me. The trust and faith also gives any young cricketer the confidence and motivation.”

While Shreyanka credited RCB for checking upon her during her tough moments, she also understands the trust and faith needs to be repaid. 

“So for me, the ultimate goal for the season is to help RCB win the WPL trophy again. Very simple. The short term goals are to enjoy the season as I have missed it for a year. I am very grateful to be back so I will try to execute my plans as much as possible.”