When she was a budding cricketer, Dharavi resident Simran Shaikh’s neighbors discouraged her father from allowing her to play the game saying ‘ye ladki, ladkon ke saath khelti’ (she plays with boys). On Sunday evening, the men made a beeline to congratulate her father Zahid Ali, a wireman, at her small home in Asia’s largest slum as Simran was bought by the Gujarat giants for Rs 1.90 crore in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. in Bangalore.
“I have no words to express my happiness. Till last night I was only hoping to be picked by a team. Ever since Gujarat Giants bought me in the auction, I have been getting non-stop calls. Sometimes it was a struggle to buy a basic cricket kit. But I Whatever I have got is because of cricket and I will work harder than before,” Simran Sheikh told The Indian Express from Ahmedabad, where she is representing Mumbai in the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy.
Simran is now the second highest paid uncapped player after Kashvi Gautam – Rs 2 crore to Gujarat Giants last year. However, Simran’s cricket career could have been nipped in the bud if his father had heeded the naysayers.
“Coming from a Muslim family and being poor, playing cricket was not an easy option. I remember people saying to my father, ‘Zahid, kya kar raha hai tu (what are you doing?). It is time to learn ghar ka kam (housework). Sports will get him nowhere. But my father never told me to stop playing. The same person has come to congratulate our family today,’ said Simran Sheikh.
Simran Shaikh’s family poses at Simran’s house in Dharavi slum area after Gujarat Giants paid Rs 1.90 crore for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 costliest purchase. (Express photo by Shankhdeep Banerjee)
It was not easy for Zahid and his wife Akhtari Bano to make ends meet on a wireman’s salary. Simran is the third of eight children with four sisters and three brothers. Simran asked her father to use the huge salary check for the upliftment of the family.
“I spent my life in the streets and alleys. Stay asleep. (All our lives we lived in slums in narrow lanes with open drains). In our family, eleven people live in two rooms. Now with this money we will buy a good house and lead a decent life. Thank God, I didn’t listen to friends stopping Simran from playing cricket,” Zahid told this paper.
Simran Sheikh’s father Zahid Ali displays his trophies at his residence in Dharavi. (Express photo by Shankhdeep Banerjee)
Simran Shaikh headlined a day in which uncapped Indian players bagged big bucks. Three of the top four buys were uncapped Indians – Simran; Madurai’s 16-year-old wicketkeeper G Kamalini sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.60 crore. And 23-year-old all-rounder Prema Rawat joined Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 1.60 crore. They were in the same league in terms of money in the mini-auction of West Indies star all-rounder Diandra Dottin (Gujarat Giants; Rs 1.70 crore) with teams having to fill 19 slots.
Reaction after joining Simran Shaikh #GujaratGiants in front #TATAWPL2025 🙌#TATAWPLAuction #JioCinemaSports #WPLAuctiononJioStar pic.twitter.com/qJQu6GGd8Z
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) December 15, 2024
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The wind in the auction signaled Simran’s comeback. He was bought by UP Warriors in the inaugural auction for a base prize of 1 million. But in nine matches in WPL 2023, he scored 29 runs at a strike rate of 60.41 and an average of 5.80. Those returns saw him released after the first season, and he did not find a squad for the WPL 2024.
Her numbers for eventual champions Mumbai in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this season weren’t huge as she scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 100.57 but she found the fence frequently, hitting a boundary almost every 7 balls. In the recent T20 Challenger Trophy, playing for Team E, she hit 7 sixes and 6 fours off 40 balls, resulting in an astonishing strike rate of 202.50.
Simran Sheikh batting in WPL 2024.
striking power
“Though her numbers weren’t great last season, it’s her experience that sets her apart. Her strike rate, which is close to 130, is great because she bats in the middle order. No matter the situation, she can hit those big shots. She An excellent fielder as well, which is a significant advantage,” former India captain Anjum Chopra told GeoCinema.
It is that striking power that has caught the attention of Gujarat head coach Michael Klinger. “We’ve been watching the local tournaments closely and she’s moved up in terms of strike rate, so we were looking for someone who could be in the top 6 or 7 with her six-hit ability,” Klinger said. broadcasters.
Simran Sheikh is happy to be the cause of Dharavi’s good name. “All Dharavi’s settlements are seen. (People see Dharavi as a slum). But I am happy that now they will know that it has also produced cricketers. There are many good cricketers in Dharavi and I hope others make it big. My main goal is to play for India one day.
With Vinayak Mohanrangan
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