CHENNAI: It was February 2025. Shreyanka Patil was gearing up for the Women’s Premier League, keen to give her best in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title defence. Having been out of action since the T20 World Cup due to injuries, it was something she had been working hard towards and looking forward to.
But then, she heard the bad news whilst being in Mumbai for an awards function. Patil had been ruled out of the tournament. “I had to fly from Bengaluru to Mumbai when I heard the news. I went to Jemi's (Jemimah Rodrigues) place, and I just broke down. I didn't know how to react to this,” Patil recalls in an interaction facilitated by FanCode, which is the official broadcaster of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League.
For someone who had been on an upward curve in the 18 months leading up to the T20 World Cup, what followed was a long road with one injury after another keeping her out. Every time she came close to getting back on the field, Patil was pulled back. Fracture in finger, shin splints, stress reaction in wrist, fractured thumb — Patil could not catch a break.
In all this, what kept her going was doing well for RCB and winning the WPL trophy again. But when that did not happen, she was devastated. “I was ready for maybe missing one tournament. And then they said maybe a little longer. So, whenever they said that, obviously, I used to break down because missing games is something which I don't like. And I used to go back to my room, cry, and take out my anger. I didn't know how to express my feelings because that was my first time not playing cricket for such a long period. I wasn't ready for it. I was manifesting that we are going in as the defending champions. I didn't see myself not being a part of the team,” she recalls.
The 23-year-old did not know how to face her family. She was not sure how to communicate it to her close ones, including her coach Arjun Dev, even though they did not necessarily ask anything. Patil even contemplated stopping playing cricket altogether. The doubts crept in, and she was not in a good place. In all this, it is the friendships she had made that kept her going. Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, Arundhati Reddy, to name a few, and Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar at the BCCI Centre of Excellence kept checking in on her, appreciating every step she put forward and tried to make sure she was not alone.
“They've been constantly contacting me, just checking out on me, whether I'm doing well. Whenever I play a game they're like, ‘it was so lovely watching you play. ’ So, those are the small moments which made me feel happy,” she said.
Apart from her India teammates, the Karnataka all-rounder got to spend time and share experiences with Suryakumar Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Riyan Parag, Mohammed Shami and others who were there for their rehab at the CoE. “SKY is such a lovely person. He was there for about one month or so, my last rehab bit. And the conversations we had were just amazing. It was not just about cricket. It was all about life because he's also faced a few injuries. Obviously, someone like SKY coming and talking to us makes a huge difference," she said.
Once she realised the only way out was upwards, the sulking stopped. Patil started enjoying her rehab, focussed on journalising, and did a course with Shane Watson about changing her mindset. She was getting better mentally and physically. Her first big tournament came at a place where she sort of kick-started her rise two years ago — WCPL. Having played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2023, Patil returned to the Caribbean, this time to play for Barbados Royals.
When she got on the field for the first time in 11 months, against her old team, Patil was overwhelmed. Patil went for 33 runs in three overs with no wickets, but the Royals went on to win by seven wickets. The numbers may not be what she wanted, but Patil is happy to be back on the field and ready to roar. And it was visible in the second game against Trinbago Knight Riders, where she took 1/22 in three overs, helping her team win.
“I was a little nervous when I came here. I had so many thoughts. I've missed playing so much. Yes, the first match didn't go the way I wanted it to. I'm happy that we won the game. But yes, I'm looking forward to the upcoming games and also the domestic season again, to go out there, perform, and win games,” she signed off.
