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After 11 months of injuries and setbacks, Shreyanka Patil returned to cricket with Barbados Royals in WCPL, overcoming doubt and finding strength through support from peers.
Indian star Shreyanka Patil (PTI)
Before the opening match of the Barbados Royals in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), Shreyanka Patil found herself in tears — this time out of relief.
After battling adversity and dealing with injuries for 11 months, Shreyanka finally returned to competitive cricket in a match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Her figures were 0-33 in three overs, but the numbers didn’t matter to her. She was back to doing what she loved — playing cricket and being on the field.
What initially seemed like a brief recovery period after the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup turned into the longest time Shreyanka had ever spent away from cricket. After the tournament in the UAE, where India didn’t make it to the semi-finals, she developed Grade three shin splints in both legs.
Despite months of rehab, the issue relapsed just as she was nearing the return-to-play protocols. Then came a stress reaction in her wrist, and when she finally felt fit during a bowlers’ camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in June, she fractured her thumb on the very first day.
Initially named in the India ‘A’ squad for a three-match T20 series in Australia, she was later ruled out of the tour. Now back in action, Shreyanka’s voice carried the sincerity of someone who had emerged from a long period of uncertainty, realising she wasn’t alone in navigating the dark phase.
“I mean, I am that bubbly kind of a person who loves to interact with everyone. So yes, since I was in there for 11 months, I made new friends, started hanging out with them, and began knowing their stories, be it cricket or their life. So then I realised, ‘Okay, fine, I’m just not just alone in this’.”
“So many people are facing different kind of journeys in their own way. They’re just facing so many things, just like me. So it became like a family in NCA and we just kind of started sharing each other’s stories. It was a lovely environment to be a part of. Those people didn’t really make me feel lonely.”
“Whenever I felt lonely, they were always there for me. So, it was again a big learning for me in not just being alone and keeping the door shut always. I just wanted to explore myself, learn something new, and come out of my comfort zone,” Shreyanka said in a virtual to IANS.
When recalling her loop of injuries, Shreyanka’s voice revealed vulnerability. “Initially, I was fine – like okay, I’m getting better, doing well, and will be back on the field soon. But once I started getting injured again, and again, I was like, what’s happening? I had that doubt in myself that will I be back on the field?”
“After I fractured my thumb, I didn’t know what was happening. I just went to my room and I’m like, God, what is it? I didn’t know how to face my parents, especially my dad. I didn’t know what to answer to my coach who’s always been there for me. I mean, he didn’t ask anything, but I didn’t know how to communicate with my close ones. I was kind of blank at that time,” she recalled.
Shreyanka had thoughts many athletes rarely speak about publicly. “I was like, how am I going to get out of it? Am I going to play cricket? I had doubts. I was like, let me stop playing cricket. Why should I play? I had these doubts.”
“I’m not lying about it. But I did have such thoughts of, let me stop playing now, as I need a long break. I want to stop playing cricket. Maybe I’ll go somewhere out, refresh myself, and then think about it, whether I’m going to play or not,” she said.
Before injuries halted her career, Shreyanka’s rise had been swift. At 20, she debuted in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2023. Later that year, she became the first Indian to play in the WCPL before earning her India cap in both T20Is and ODIs in December.
Her progress continued in WPL 2024, where she earned the Purple Cap as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, playing a key role in RCB’s maiden title triumph. Missing WPL 2025, however, was the breaking point for Shreyanka.
She had envisioned defending the championship, but instead found herself watching from the sidelines as RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs.
How Shreyanka Reacted To Missing WPL?
When Shreyanka learned she wouldn’t play WPL 2025, she broke down at Jemimah Rodrigues’ place. ““I was ready to maybe miss one tournament. Then they said maybe a little more longer and had to miss another tournament.”
“Whenever they said that, I used to break down because missing games is something which I don’t like. I used to go back to my room, cry, take out anger and I didn’t know how to express my feelings because that was my first time not playing cricket for such a long period. Missing out on WPL was a big breakdown for me, because I wasn’t ready for it.”
“Day in and day out after missing out on one or two tournaments, I was like, ‘Okay, now I think WPL is the platform where I have to do well and again win that trophy back. When the physios told that I’m going to miss out on this year WPL, I was like, hell no, because I really wasn’t ready for it. It took me a while to come out of that phase, about a good one month,” she said.
Apart from family and coach Arjun Dev, Shreyanka found support from Jemimah, Smriti Mandhana, and Arundhati Reddy. To distract herself from rehab’s monotony, she began painting, while dancing provided solace. A guitar gifted by Jemimah on her birthday became another outlet for expression, alongside meditation, visualisation, and an online course.
Significantly, she started maintaining a diary. Every day, Shreyanka jotted down her feelings, be it upset, happy, nervous, excited, or even gratitude. One diary entry was about quietly watching Wimbledon.
“Those are the small moments which made me feel happy, and that’s when I started getting out of that phase. Then I was like, no matter what, now I’m not going to miss any tournaments. I’ve missed a lot of cricket, let me get as fit as possible, mentally, physically, and then just be back on the field and just roar.”
“Whatever possible, I just wanted to tick all the boxes from my end. I was like, let me get better, no matter what. I just wanted to fight it through. Whatever it takes, I just wanted to do it because I badly wanted to be on the field. It was like ‘No, Shrey, you have to. You are battling this alone and you have to get through it and I just did it’,” she said.
How SKY Helped Shreyanka?
Gradually, Shreyanka embraced her situation and built camaraderie with fellow cricketers at the CoE. She found support from Renuka Singh Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar, who were also recovering from injuries, and drew strength from India men’s T20I player Suryakumar Yadav, who was recovering from sports hernia surgery.
“He’s such a lovely person. He was there for about one month or so, my last rehab bit. The conversations we had were amazing. We didn’t really talk about cricket. It was about life, because he has also faced a few injuries. He just asked me to be patient and always said, ‘you just keep doing your thing and everything else will come back to you’.”
“He kept motivating me. When I was doing my practice session, he would encourage me and help me in the gym. Someone like Sky coming and talking to us makes a huge difference.”
Interactions with Riyan Parag and Mayank Yadav also kept Shreyanka going. “Riyan who was going through a lot, and whenever I was feeling low, I used to go to such people and just say, okay, I’m not feeling that great today. They used to come and talk to me.”
“Mayank has missed out on a lot of cricket. Being a fast bowler, it’s not easy to be back on the field when he had a back injury. So, again, talking to all of these people made me feel much more calmer because I felt I was not alone in all this,” she said.
The 11-month journey offered Shreyanka lifelong insights that no coaching manual could. She learned to read her body’s signals, when to push and rest, trust the process, and find strength in vulnerability. She held no bitterness about missing the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup squad, having mentally prepared for that possibility.
The 2025 WCPL marked not just a happy return but the rebirth of Shreyanka’s cricketing career. The purple cap she claimed in 2023 served as both memory and motivation.
“When I got picked by Barbados Royals and I’d not played for 11 months, I just closed my eyes and I thought of the first year I played and I was like, ‘Maybe it’s just meant to happen’. I’m again starting with WCPL and then go forward with WPL, India, and stuff like that. So, I’m looking forward and I’m just grateful that I’m back on the field playing cricket now.”
Shreyanka’s return to competitive cricket is a story of moving from despair to hope and doubt to determination. Each training session, diary entry, and conversation during her rehab were small victories leading her back to the field.
Now, with the ball in hand and enjoying the feeling of wearing gloves before batting, Shreyanka’s tears before her first competitive match in 11 months were not just of overwhelming joy. They were the tears of a warrior who stared into the abyss and refused to blink, finally returning to where she truly belongs — the cricket field.
(With inputs from IANS)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
September 11, 2025, 20:12 IST
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