Called in as replacement, played in final because teammate's kit didn't arrive: The story of WPL auction's first crorepati uncapped player, Vrinda Dinesh

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction was all about overseas players before uncapped player Vrinda Dinesh’s name was taken by the auctioneer Mallika Sagar. From a base price of Rs 10 lakh, Vrinda started a bidding war between UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The two franchises fought tooth and nail to acquire the services of Vrinda for the second edition of WPL. As the bid crossed Rs 1 crore, both franchises became cautious. In the end, Warriorz were able to rope in Vrinda for a whopping Rs 1.3 crore as she became the first crorepati uncapped player in WPL history. 

Follow the Sports Tak channel on WhatsApp
 

A hard-hitting batter up the order, Vrinda has had luck by her side since the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Teams Cup in Hong Kong earlier this year. She was not a part of the initial Under-23 squad. After impressing in the warm-up fixtures, Vrinda was included in the squad after pacer S Yashasri got injured. 

But still, there was no chance of her playing in the final after landing in Hong Kong as in a bizarre series of events Muskan Malik's kit did not arrive in time. She contributed with a crucial 29-ball 36 in the low-scoring encounter to help India A post 127/7. With Shreyanka Patil picking a four-fer and Mannat Kashyap taking three wickets, India A bowled out Bangladesh A for 96 to win the match by 31 runs and get their hands on the trophy.
 

Vrinda who considers former Australian skipper Meg Lanning as her idol has been outstanding for Karnataka in the last two seasons. She finished as the third-highest run-getter in the Senior Women's One-Day competition with 477 runs from 11 innings at an average of 47.70. With an 81-run knock in the semi-final against Rajasthan, she led Karnataka to the final. 
 

Vrinda was already on all five franchises' radar as she attended the trials conducted by them during the off-season. Recently, she was a part of the India A T20 series against England A. She could score just 35 runs from three games at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai but Warriorz picked the youngster on her potential. 
 

MORE ON SPORTS TAK
IND vs SA: David Miller set to surpass Rohit Sharma on this list; R Ashwin may retain top spot
IND vs SA Tour Schedule: Know where to watch live streaming and broadcast, full squad, schedule details, and more