Shreyanka Patil 'blank' after RCB retention despite year-long injury absence

The off-spinner finished as WPL 2024's leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps, earning the Purple Cap and the Emerging Player of the Season award as RCB reached the title. However, she missed WPL 2025 due to grade-three shin splints that relapsed, as well as a stress reaction in her right wrist.

Shreyanka then fractured her thumb while fielding during India's bowlers' camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in June and has been in action since playing for Barbados Royals in the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL). With RCB retaining her for Rs 60 lakh, Shreyanka will be keen to find her way back to consistent play when the side opens their campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday.

"No words can describe how I was feeling when I got that call saying I was retained. Malo sir (Malolan Rangarajan) called me and he was like, Patil, that's what he calls me...he's like, 'Patil, you've been retained.' I was actually blank and like shocked because someone who has not played for 13-14 months - to trust that girl and just say, I will back you because your skill is up there, you've done it before, you've been a part of the winning squad," said Patil while replying to an IANS query in a virtual pre-season press conference on Thursday.

"I mean, that gives so much confidence and motivation for any young cricketer, I would say. I was blank, and he's like, 'Patil, I've not seen you this calm.' I said, 'Sir, I need some time for me to express myself.' Then he's like, 'Ok Patil, you enjoy.' Then I called Arjun sir (personal coach Arjun Dev) and I started crying and I'm like, I don't know what's happening because I was in that shock.

"Because before that day, I was thinking too much. I was overthinking - like 'oh, my God, what will happen? Will I be retained? If not, which team will I be playing for?' So many thoughts came because I hadn't played for a while. So many thoughts, and then when that phone call happened, I was like, finally getting that nice feeling of just so much love. It was so much, I mean, I just felt so cute all over again," she added.

Shreyanka acknowledged that the team would miss the 'true legend' Ellyse Perry. The star Australian all-rounder, who played a crucial role in their title triumph, is unavailable for the upcoming season due to personal reasons.

"She's a true legend of this game. Obviously, we're going to miss her being a part of RCB for all the seasons, and she played a tremendous role in winning the cup. She's given us that, what to say, she's taught us so much.

"We've learned so much from her, not just on the field, but from her fitness too. We all know how fitness-freak she is. So we've all got so much from her. Yes, we're going to miss her for sure, but you can't say a correct replacement for Perry is this one, or XYZ.

"But they've done a great job to get another player. So, this squad looks really nice. Obviously, we're going to miss her, but this squad is also looking very balanced and strong," she elaborated.

Shreyanka further praised RCB for maintaining contact throughout her lengthy rehabilitation period, with captain Smriti Mandhana regularly checking on her progress too.

"They've been checking on me, what I'm up to, just giving me that confidence, saying no matter what, you're the best. So all of that seems very likely, just for the sake of saying, they might say, but that much confidence, and the way they said it, you feel it actually. It's not like, you're just good, you're good enough.

"It was a very hard statement for them to say, and I actually felt it. We had some conversations. Smriti was constantly talking to me about my injury, where it is going, and how I'm doing in my practice sessions. So, we were all in touch, and they really helped me.

"They were like, if there's anything needed, our medical team is there for you, you can call us anytime. So it wasn't like a contract with RCB or anything; it was more than that. It was more like a family concern for me. That coming from them made me feel even more special," she said.

Shreyanka signed off by saying she spent the last month before the tournament working intensively on match-based scenarios at NICE Academy with her coach, Arjun Dev. "I've done a lot of visualisation and manifestation, though I wasn't playing. Now that I'm back in action after the past six-seven months, I've worked on my skills. I didn't feel confident about my bowling when I started playing again.

"But then the more you practice, the more consistent you get, the more confident you become. So now, before coming to Mumbai, I kind of had a lovely schedule for a month. Back at home, in NICE Academy, Arjun sir had planned it. So we planned our full month, saying this is what we're going to do, centre wicket and match-based scenarios.

"That one month gave me a lot of confidence in my cricket and mentally, like the tactics and technical bits. Like everything was kind of sorted in that one month. So when I flew, I was so happy, and I got that peaceful sleep on the flight where I could just say, I'm fully prepared for this tournament.

"When I came here, the first session I bowled, it was a brilliant first couple of days. I enjoyed myself bowling here, got some knockings, and everything. So I'm in good space, I'm pretty much confident about my skill, my mindset, I'm ready to go," she concluded.

- IANS