WPL 2024: From Early Struggles To Purple Cap – How Shreyanka Patil Turned It Around With Off-Spin

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s hometown talent Shreyanka Patil made an incredible turnaround within a space of the Bengaluru leg and the Delhi leg to play a crucial role in her team’s maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) success with her off-spin.

The 21-year-old Shreyanka struggled in the early stages of the WPL 2024, claiming just two wickets and conceding 100 runs in the four matches before she sat out the next two games due to an injury.

 

Shreyanka’s run to the Purple Cap

On her return to the side in a match against Delhi Capitals, the Bengaluru’s own Shreyanka claimed figures of 4 for 26, but couldn’t see her team home with the bat as they fell agonisingly short by 1 run.

The young fighter did not stop once she got among the wickets column as she added one more scalp in a crucial win over Mumbai Indians in the league stage on March 12, and played a key role a few days later in RCB’s reaching the final.

Shreyanaka, who is now part of the Indian white-ball side, then followed that up with a spell of 2 for 16 against the same opposition in the Eliminator, where she conceded just 4 runs and dismissed the dangerous Harmanpreet Kaur to turn the match in RCB’s favour.

A warrior she has been called for playing with an injured left hand, Shreyanka topped off that performance with a brilliant showing in the title clash, helping her land the purple cap.

With DC in the ascendancy at 64/0 in 7 overs, Sophie Molineux brought RCB back into the contest with three wickets in her first over, removing the dangerous Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Capsey in quick succession.

Later, it was the Shreyanka Patil show as the Karnataka all-rounder removed the set DC skipper Meg Lanning and cleaned up the tail after Asha Shobana’s double strike removed Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen in the same over.

In addition to Lanning, Shreyanka dismissed Minnu Mani, Arundhati Reddy and Taniya Bhatia to beat off her teammates Asha and Sophie to win the Purple Cap with 13 wickets in the season. She also won the Emerging Player award following her impressive showing in the second half.

How Shreyanka Bounced Back?

From 2 for 100 in the Bengaluru leg and missing out on the next matches with injury, Shreyanka went on to claim 11 wickets and conceded just 57 runs in the 12 overs during the Delhi leg, showcasing her fighting ability to complete a turnaround.

The 21-year-old asserted that the team really worked hard for the title this season and shared about the team bonding activities, before concluding with famous RCB line: “Ee Sala Cup Namde and we got it”.

“You can call us like that, we don’t mind. We did really work hard, we did have a camp before we played the season. It was amazing to get in touch with everyone and we had amazing team bonding sessions, some drama, some dance and some laughter. They keep saying “Ee Sala Cup Namde” and we got it. That’s it guys, it is for the fans,” Shreyanka said after clinching the maiden WPL title.

Shreyanka a different beast when there is turn

Earlier, the young sensation had told that even a slight turn on the pitch unleashes her full potential, likening herself to a “different beast” with the ball in hand.

“I really enjoyed bowling in the middle. They got a really good start but we did not let our guard down. We said it was a matter of a wicket. When we got the first, it was about the next and we kept fighting. Enjoyed each and every moment of the first innings. There was something in the wicket. If there is a little turn, I feel I am a different beast,” said Patil in the mid-innings chat.

Shreyanka, who is the first and only Indian cricketer to play in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), is going to be a star for both RCB and the Indian cricket team in the future. The youngster is expected to play a key role in India’s T20 World Cup push later this year in Bangladesh.