It was a historic day for Keerthana Balakrishnan as she became the first cricketer from Tamil Nadu selected to play in the Women's Premier League (WPL). On December 9, defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) secured Keerthana at her base price of INR 10 lakhs in the auction conducted by auctioneer Mallika Sagar.
The all-rounder was among the five players acquired by MI, along with Amandeep Kaur, S Sajana, Fatima Jaffer, and former South Africa fast bowler Shabnim Ismail.
The veteran Indian men's wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik expressed immense joy when Keerthana clinched her first WPL contract with the team led by national skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
Keerthana has trained under TS Mukund, the father of veteran batter Abhinav Mukund at his academy, specialises as a leg spinner and showcases proficiency with the bat, contributing valuable runs in the lower middle order.
TS Mukund, known for coaching youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds without charging fees, not only imparts training but also provides cricket equipment for his students.
Hailing from a modest background with her father working as a call taxi driver, 23-year-old Keerthana, now part of a prestigious team like MI, aspires to leave a lasting impression.
Having represented four teams – Tamil Nadu Women, Indian Green Women, South Zone Women, and Orange Dragons Women – Keerthana has shared the field with prominent figures in Indian cricket.
In the 2021-22 Freyer Cup, she demonstrated her all-around skills by scoring 102 runs at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 86, while also claiming four wickets. she also has achieved three three-wicket hauls while playing for Tamil Nadu Women in One-Day tournaments.
As an all-rounder, Keerthana stands to gain valuable insights from her MI teammates, particularly from world-class all-rounders such as Harmanpreet, Issy Wong, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Amelia Kerr.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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