‘I will play for India,’ aspires UP Warriorz Simran Shaikh

Simran Banu Shaikh, who was 21 years old at the time, had made it to the Women’s Premier League, becoming one of the latest success stories to emerge from Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world, known for its resilient and enterprising inhabitants.

She had been picked by the UP Warriors for 10 lakhs during the first season of the WPL, which had started on March 4.

The story of Simran Sheikh unfolded amidst these circumstances, becoming an inspiration for the youth to follow their dreams.

Simran has been playing cricket since her childhood, and since girls in her area didn’t play the sport, she had played with boys. At the age of 15, she found herself obsessed with cricket, but at that time, she had no idea about the growth and popularity of women’s cricket.

“In our neighborhood, everyone played cricket and football. I had started by watching the games, and then played with the younger kids and eventually with older players who couldn’t get me out. I used to play the whole day. Although some people complained about getting hit, I had a lot of support from the bhailog (brothers),” she said.

“I didn’t have much interest in academics. Cricket was the only thing I enjoyed playing, and I liked it so much that my brother got me into United. Although it didn’t take long for me to adapt, I had to work on improving my technique,” said Shaikh.

During the auctions for the WPL held in February, Simran Shaikh had sat in front of the TV, hoping that her turn would come. As the team rosters got filled up and time passed, her father lost hope. However, towards the end, her name had come up, and she was sold for Rs 10 lakh to UP Warriorz.

“My father had lost hope and said it wouldn’t happen, but I kept the faith, and with Allah’s blessings, I knew it would. When my name was announced, I couldn’t believe it for a few days. I was ecstatic, and it felt surreal,” she said.

During the tournament, Simran had the opportunity to interact with top Indian women’s cricket players, such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Singh, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemima Rodriguez. Her dream is to play for the Indian women’s team and set her sights on being a part of the squad that would bring the World Cup home to the country.