Life changing movement: Mumbai cricketer Simran Shaikh on Sunday became the most expensive player at the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction 2025, as Gujarat Giants acquired her for Rs 1.90 crore, while veteran Indian player Sneh Rana went unsold in Bengaluru.
After Kashvee Gautam, who earned Rs 2cr from the Gujarat Giants previous season, Simran is currently the second-highest paid uncapped player. However, if her father had listened to the doubters, Simran's cricket career might have been cut short.
Simran Shaikh said "Being poor and from a Muslim family, playing cricket wasn't an easy decision. My father was told, "Jahid, kya kar raha hai tu" (What are you doing?). She needs to learn how to do home chores, or ghar ka kaam. She won't succeed in sports. However, my dad didn't ask me to quit playing. Simran Shaikh remarked, "The same people have come to congratulate our family today."
Jahid and his spouse, Akhtari Bano, found it difficult to make ends meet on the wages of a wireman. With three brothers and four sisters, Simran is the third of eight children. Simran had instructed her father to improve the family's lot by using the large paycheck.
"Gali-kuchar mein nikal diya zindagi bhar yah. Rahe zhopde mein. In the slum, we have always lived close to little streets with exposed gutters. Our family consists of eleven members who share two rooms. We will now live a respectable life and purchase a nice home with this money. Jahid told this newspaper, "Thank God I didn't follow my friends' advice to discourage Simran from playing cricket.
In a bidding competition that took place between Giants and Delhi Capitals, the Giants ultimately triumphed with the successful bid, incorporating a batter with outstanding power into their roster.
Gujarat Giants coach Michael Klinger acknowledged that they aimed to acquire Simran and Dottin, who is rejoining the franchise for the 2025 edition, and successfully secured both players. He disclosed that the management was monitoring the domestic tournaments in India closely, and Simran's capability for power hitting and tendency to hit sixes immediately when batting lower in the order is exactly what the team seeks for the upcoming season.
In the just finished Senior Women's T20 Trophy, Simran scored 176 runs in 11 games, with a best of 47.
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