CHENNAI: There is an air of familiarity for Veda Krishnamurthy in the second edition of the Women's Premier League. Not just because she is back doing what she always loved, playing cricket, but because of the venue, M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which the Karnataka batter can proudly call her home ground. "I couldn't have asked for anything better than having camp and then matches in Bengaluru," the Gujarat Giants batter told this daily.
"It has been a while since I have played this level of cricket. I have been playing domestic cricket for the last four years but the last marquee event I played was in Australia. And now coming back to Chinnaswamy is making me ease into things. The fact that I know many people around, even when I am stepping onto practice grounds, makes me feel good," she added.
Krishnamurthy's last fixture for India came back in 2020 when India faced Australia in the T20 World Cup final. Since then she has toiled hard in domestic cricket for Karnataka, even taking the relatively young side to two back-to-back finals of the Women's Senior One Day Trophy in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. However, none of that led to her getting a place in the national side. Come the first season of WPL, she could not find a place in any of the five franchises.
"It was heartbreaking for me that I was not able to be part of the tournament in the last season. It didn't sit well with me. It took me a while to come out of it," Krishnamurthy admitted. However, she found a way to remain close to the game when she got the opportunity to be part of the broadcasting team for the inaugural season. Krishnamurthy believes that chance came at the right time for her. "I wanted to commentate because I didn't want to sit at home and sulk over it. There were times when you were commentating, and it hit you hard knowing you could have been part of that."
"Commentary gave me that platform where I could be occupied. Because I have played a lot of cricket with or against everybody who is part of the WPL, it gave me extra insight into things in the game and made my job easier. That also gave me a platform where I could take care of myself with the mental health aspect as well," the senior Indian player said.
When it came to the mini-auction ahead of the second edition in December 2023, Krishnamurthy had her fingers crossed hoping to get the chance to be part of the league. And that golden ticket came in when Gujarat picked her for Rs 30 Lakh. The broadcasting team that welcomed her in the inaugural season was the first to congratulate her.
"The people who I worked with in commentary were rooting for me. It made me feel good. Even when the auction preview was going on all the experts and presenters were rooting for me. We have a close-knit unit. When I got picked for the WPL, everyone in that office celebrated and sent me messages. But once I got selected, there was a feeling of okay I got selected. What now?" she mentioned.
The season has not started the way Gujarat or Krishnamurthy would have wanted, but the 31-year-old has her plans set to make the most of the opportunity. "Whatever I can contribute in whichever way I can is going to be primary for me. At the same time for us to do well as a team is also important. From the auction till now, all I have been thinking about is what I can bring to the team that will help all of us succeed," she said.
The task is hard for her team, but there is still plenty of time remaining in the season for the team to turn things around. Krishnamurthy would want to contribute to that cause, especially at her home ground.