Meet G Kamalini, 16-year-old from Tamil Nadu who went to Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.6 crore
It was a day to remember for G Kamalini, 16-year-old wicketkeeper from Tamil Nadu. In the first half of Sunday, she scored a 29-ball 44 at a strike rate of 151.72 with four 4s and three 6s against Pakan at the ACC Women’s U19 Asia Cup 2024 Bayuemas Cricket Oval, Kuala Lumpur. In the second half of the day, she was picked up Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League auction for a whopping Rs 1.60 score.
The Kamilini show 🌪️ 🔥
Pakan didn’t know what hit them as #TeamIndia cruised to victory in their #ACCWomensU19AsiaCup opener 💨#SonySportsNetwork #NewHomeOfAsiaCup #NextGenBlue #INDvPAK
[India vs Pakan, Women’s Asia Cup, T20 Cricket] pic.twitter.com/F3ms3d3pBo
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) December 15, 2024
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As an interesting aside, Kamalini’s journey to MI is via Chennai Super Kings, as the IPL franchise gave her the opportunity to train at their academy when she moved to the city from Madurai. CSK, of course, do not have a team in the WPL.
Aarti Sankaran, former Tamil Nadu cricketer and National Cricket Academy-certified coach, mentors Kamalini. “She is what you call a natural talent. Everything comes so easily to her and that’s how she has been able to convert into a wicketkeeper within six months. She has the drive and the hard work. We have seen a lot of girls just fizzle out after a point. But she is going to stay here for long,” Aarti had told The Indian Express recently.
WATCH: Journey of Kamalini
In 2020, a day after Covid lockdown was enforced, Kamalini’s father Gunalan was practicing cricket with his son, Kishore. Unexpectedly, his 12-year-old daughter picked up a cricket ball and effortlessly bowled it. Gunalan was astounded, as Kamalini had never shown any interest in cricket before and had received no formal training, her initial interest was in skating. He realized she possessed a natural talent for the sport. Recognizing her natural talent, he and his wife Saranya decided to invest in her cricketing career.
Read More: The rise and rise of Kamalini
Despite initial skepticism and challenges, they moved from Madurai to Chennai to provide Kamalini with better training opportunities. With Gunalan’s dedicated coaching and support from the Chennai Super Kings Academy, Kamalini’s skills rapidly improved. She was selected for the Tamil Nadu U-19 team and has since achieved significant milestones, including being named the women’s cricketer of the year in Tamil Nadu.
In a video published the CSK YouTube channel, charting Kamalini’s journey, her family also spoke about the tough times she faced after her father had to undergo a heart surgery. The youngster, who said she was in tears when she heard the news, scored a century against Andhra Pradesh a day after visiting her father in the hospital.
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