Indian star Shreyanka Patil (PTI)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Before the opening match of the Barbados Royals in the Women\u2019s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), Shreyanka Patil found herself in tears \u2014 this time out of relief.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t matter to her. She was back to doing what she loved \u2014 playing cricket and being on the field.<\/p>\n
What initially seemed like a brief recovery period after the 2024 Women\u2019s T20 World Cup turned into the longest time Shreyanka had ever spent away from cricket. After the tournament in the UAE, where India didn\u2019t make it to the semi-finals, she developed Grade three shin splints in both legs.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in June, she fractured her thumb on the very first day.<\/p>\n
Initially named in the India \u2018A\u2019 squad for a three-match T20 series in Australia, she was later ruled out of the tour. Now back in action, Shreyanka\u2019s voice carried the sincerity of someone who had emerged from a long period of uncertainty, realising she wasn\u2019t alone in navigating the dark phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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, \u2018Okay, fine, I\u2019m just not just alone in this\u2019.”<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many people are facing different kind of journeys in their own way. They\u2019re 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\u2019s stories. It was a lovely environment to be a part of. Those people didn\u2019t really make me feel lonely.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever 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.<\/p>\n
When recalling her loop of injuries, Shreyanka\u2019s voice revealed vulnerability. \u201cInitially, I was fine \u2013 like okay, I\u2019m 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\u2019s happening? I had that doubt in myself that will I be back on the field?”<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I fractured my thumb, I didn\u2019t know what was happening. I just went to my room and I\u2019m like, God, what is it? I didn\u2019t know how to face my parents, especially my dad. I didn\u2019t know what to answer to my coach who\u2019s always been there for me. I mean, he didn\u2019t ask anything, but I didn\u2019t know how to communicate with my close ones. I was kind of blank at that time,” she recalled.<\/p>\n
Shreyanka had thoughts many athletes rarely speak about publicly. \u201cI 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.”<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019ll go somewhere out, refresh myself, and then think about it, whether I\u2019m going to play or not,” she said.<\/p>\n
Before injuries halted her career, Shreyanka\u2019s rise had been swift. At 20, she debuted in the Women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Her progress continued in WPL 2024, where she earned the Purple Cap as the tournament\u2019s leading wicket-taker, playing a key role in RCB\u2019s maiden title triumph. Missing WPL 2025, however, was the breaking point for Shreyanka.<\/p>\n
She had envisioned defending the championship, but instead found herself watching from the sidelines as RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs.<\/p>\n
How Shreyanka Reacted To Missing WPL?<\/h2>\n When Shreyanka learned she wouldn\u2019t play WPL 2025, she broke down at Jemimah Rodrigues\u2019 place. \u201c\u201cI was ready to maybe miss one tournament. Then they said maybe a little more longer and had to miss another tournament.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever they said that, I used to break down because missing games is something which I don\u2019t like. I used to go back to my room, cry, take out anger and I didn\u2019t 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\u2019t ready for it.”<\/p>\n
\u201cDay in and day out after missing out on one or two tournaments, I was like, \u2018Okay, 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\u2019m going to miss out on this year WPL, I was like, hell no, because I really wasn\u2019t ready for it. It took me a while to come out of that phase, about a good one month,” she said.<\/p>\n
Apart from family and coach Arjun Dev, Shreyanka found support from Jemimah, Smriti Mandhana, and Arundhati Reddy. To distract herself from rehab\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are the small moments which made me feel happy, and that\u2019s when I started getting out of that phase. Then I was like, no matter what, now I\u2019m not going to miss any tournaments. I\u2019ve 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.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever 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 \u2018No, Shrey, you have to. You are battling this alone and you have to get through it and I just did it\u2019,” she said.<\/p>\n
How SKY Helped Shreyanka?<\/h2>\n 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\u2019s T20I player Suryakumar Yadav, who was recovering from sports hernia surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 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\u2019t 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, \u2018you just keep doing your thing and everything else will come back to you\u2019.”<\/p>\n
\u201cHe 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.”<\/p>\n
Interactions with Riyan Parag and Mayank Yadav also kept Shreyanka going. \u201cRiyan who was going through a lot, and whenever I was feeling low, I used to go to such people and just say, okay, I\u2019m not feeling that great today. They used to come and talk to me.”<\/p>\n
\u201cMayank has missed out on a lot of cricket. Being a fast bowler, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The 11-month journey offered Shreyanka lifelong insights that no coaching manual could. She learned to read her body\u2019s signals, when to push and rest, trust the process, and find strength in vulnerability. She held no bitterness about missing the 2025 Women\u2019s ODI World Cup squad, having mentally prepared for that possibility.<\/p>\n
The 2025 WCPL marked not just a happy return but the rebirth of Shreyanka\u2019s cricketing career. The purple cap she claimed in 2023 served as both memory and motivation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got picked by Barbados Royals and I\u2019d not played for 11 months, I just closed my eyes and I thought of the first year I played and I was like, \u2018Maybe it\u2019s just meant to happen\u2019. I\u2019m again starting with WCPL and then go forward with WPL, India, and stuff like that. So, I\u2019m looking forward and I\u2019m just grateful that I\u2019m back on the field playing cricket now.”<\/p>\n
Shreyanka\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Now, with the ball in hand and enjoying the feeling of wearing gloves before batting, Shreyanka\u2019s 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 \u2014 the cricket field.<\/p>\n
(With inputs from IANS)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n
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