WPL 2024: Kiran Navgire, UP Warriorz’s finisher, shines brightly at the top of the order
Kiran Navgire is the perfect specimen for a finisher. She has the power and range, honed by her years as a javelin and shot put thrower, that allows her to hit sixes in all directions, irrespective of the bowler she faces.
In her brief dabble in athletics, she also trained as a short-distance runner, which gives her the speed to run between the wickets in cricket – a perfect tool to squeeze out a few more precious runs towards the end of an innings.
But on Wednesday night, UP Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy revealed that Navgire had requested the team management to let her open the batting.
It is still unclear as to whether this change in the batting lineup was made before or after regular opener Vrinda Dinesh had to be helped off the field due to an injury while fielding.
But what was clear was the blistering hitting on display as the UP Warriorzcruised to their first winin the 2024 Women’s Premier League on the back of Navgire’s 57 off 31, with six boundaries and four sixes.
The 29-year-old from Solapur has had an unusual start to her cricket career. It was only in 2017 that she decided to make the shift to the sport after having spent 10 years competing nationally in javelin throw, shot put and 100m events.
Cricket was not a big deal in her hometown, let alone women’s cricket.
“When I told my family that I wanted to play cricket, my father and elder brother were very upset,” recalled Navgire in an interaction with Scroll.
She had already secured admission for a Bachelors in Physical Education degree in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. She had already paid for tuition and lodging at the college, but decided to take a chance on cricket after impressing the organisers of an invitational tournament in Pune in 2017.
