WPL: Simran Shaikh, a journey from Dharavi to costliest buy in auction

The journey of Simran Shaikh, a spunky 22-year-old, from the maze of Asia’s biggest slum in Dharavi to being the costliest buy of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini-auction on Sunday at Rs 1.90 crores is a life-changing one. However, that’s the kind of payday which has become a par for the course for budding cricketers in IPL and now WPL if they get lucky.

The purse at stake for IPL and WPL are like chalk-and-cheese, but the WPL – now in it’s third year – is still a work in progress. Gujarat Giants, which finished last among the five teams last year, roped in the hard-hitting batter Simran after frenetic bidding with Delhi Capitals while they also bought experienced Caribbean allrounder Deandra Dottin at Rs 1.7 cr. Tamil Nadu’s 16-year-old sensation, G. Kamalini, secured a pay cheque of Rs 1.60 cr from Mumbai Indians to be the third highest-paid player at the auction in Bengaluru.

 Bought at the base price of Rs 10 lakhs by UP Warriorz in the inaugural auction in 2022, Simran did not really set the stage on wire despite playing nine games and was released by the franchise after one season. She went unsold last year and in the recently concluded Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, she was only a moderate success with an aggregate of 176 runs for Mumbai at a strike rate of 126.95 but Lady Luck smiled on her.

“I have no words to express my joy. Till last night I was just hoping to just get picked by one of the teams. I have been getting non-stop calls since Gujarat Giants bought me at the auction. There were times when it was a struggle to buy a basic cricket kit. But whatever I have got is because of cricket and I will work harder than before,” Simran told The Indian Express.

 It’s been a journey of grit and resilience for Simran, daughter of Zahid Ali, an electrician who stayed in a cramped accommodation in Dharavi with his family. She was no stranger to derisive comments from the neighbourhood as she played cricket with the boys and packed enough power in her shots for sixes.  ‘’She comes from Dharavi. If you look at it from the financial point of view, it is great for her that she is getting the opportunity once again. She has worked extremely hard for this and the results are there for everyone to see. It is important in terms of financial stability,’’ Simran’s coach and former India international Sunetra Paranjape said.

Giants’ head coach, Michael Klinger praised the journey of the youngster. ‘’If we can change her life, not just for her but for her family, it’s fantastic. Mind you, this is not a charity given to her, she has earned this. She has put on some great performances in recent times. It is great to hear that this can change her life,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, a total of 124 players were auctioned with all the 19 slots across five teams being filled including five overseas players. Some of the big names who went unsold were India international Sneh Rana, England skipper Heather Knight, teammate Lauren Bell and Australian Laura Harris.

The cumulative fund available to the teams at the start of the auction was Rs 16.7 crore, while the overall amount spent by the teams in the auction was at Rs 9.05 crore.