Following an impressive domestic season with Karnataka, Vrinda Dinesh found herself thrust into the spotlight when UP Warriorz secured her services for a remarkable Rs 1.3 crore at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. The revelation came after an intense training session with the Karnataka team in preparation for the Women’s U-23 T20 Trophy in Raipur.
Upon returning to her hotel and checking her phone, Vrinda Dinesh discovered an outpouring of wishes and congratulatory messages. As she scrolled through the inundated device, the magnitude of the bid for her services became apparent. The 22-year-old took a moment to absorb the offer’s significance before sharing the news with her family and celebrating with her Karnataka teammates.
Her father, S Dinesh, a former club-level cricketer, had not anticipated such a significant development for his daughter. Encouraging her to take things ‘step by step,’ he had instilled a patient approach in her cricketing journey. Vrinda’s consistent performances over the past two seasons, especially her pivotal role for Karnataka in the Senior Women’s one-day tournament, established her as one of the top scorers. This success earned her a call-up to the India A squad for the recent home T20 series against England A, underscoring her rising stature in Indian cricket.
However, Vrinda’s cricketing journey took an unexpected turn when she suffered a shoulder injury during a WPL game UP Warriorz against Mumbai Indians. Positioned at the top of the order with captain Alyssa Heally, Vrinda struggled to make an impact with the bat in the first two games. Despite her dynamic fielding, she couldn’t replicate the same success with the bat. The shoulder injury, resulting in her replacement by Kiran Navgire at the top of the order, has unfortunately ruled her out of the ongoing WPL edition.
This injury, occurring amidst a promising career, introduces a challenging chapter to Vrinda’s story. The cricketing community awaits to see how she bounces back and continues to contribute to the sport that has acknowledged her talent amidst both acclaim and adversity. In the UP Warriorz squad, Vrinda Dinesh has been replaced by wicketkeeper batter Uma Chetry, who earned her maiden call-up to the Indian side for their tour of Bangladesh in July last year.
Uma Chetry had an outstanding season on the domestic circuit, representing Assam in the Senior Women’s One Day and T20 Trophy 2023. In the T20 tournament, the keeper-batter amassed 115 runs in six games with an unbeaten 54 being her highest score. Meanwhile, in the One Day trophy, she scored 194 runs in six innings, achieving a high score of 71 runs.