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Karnataka U-23 women's team's camp in Raipur erupted in euphoria, as their skipper, Vrinda Dinesh was picked by UP Warriorz for a hefty sum of Rs 1.3 crore at the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction.
While she was bowling, the young all-rounder overheard her teammate Shishira Gowda mumbling to the team analyst “Vrinda was picked by UP Warriorz for a huge INR 1.30 crore.”
Before she could believe her ears, she found herself encircled by the entire squad, with congratulations pouring in.
An untimely injury to S Yashashri presented Vrinda with a unique opportunity, as she got to feature in the final game of the ACC Emerging Teams Cup in Hong Kong for the India Under-23 team, earlier in June.
"Yes, I did attend all five trials. I enjoyed UP the most. We had a lot of match simulations and open nets. They asked me to be very free and just play the game that I have always been playing," she revealed.
"Also on the last day, where they had a skill session for the batters, the UP Warriors players had to stay back for that session. They also asked me to attend the session and they also taught me a lot of skills that I could develop. That's something I used during the season this year," the 22-year-old further added.
Just like any other Indian kid, Vrinda’s inclination towards bat and ball started from the streets. After spending quite some time playing gully cricket with boys in her neighbourhood, her father admitted a young Vrinda to a summer camp.
Prior to meeting her current coach Kiran Uppoor at the NICE Academy in Bengaluru during the season, she attended the Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bengaluru.
She joined the Karnataka team in December 2018, but could only play a couple of matches before getting dropped.
The young all-rounder attributes her transition from a 'made-for-Test batter' to a player about to make her WPL debut to working under Uppoor.
Playing alongside Australia and UP skipper Alyssa Healy is a dream come true for the young Karnataka cricketer, who is also a Meg Lanning aficionado.
In the Warriorz camp, Vrinda will reunite with her India ‘A’ teammates Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri and Parshavi Chopra, but her heart is set on opening batting alongside captain Healy.
"Alyssa Healy is someone I have always looked up to. I like the way she bats and that's something I have tried to do here. To be able to open the batting with Alyssa Healy is a dream come true. She is really destructive and it’s something I really want to be. Playing under her captaincy is going to give me a lot of experience. It will help me get better and it's something I am looking forward to," she concluded.
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