Sneh Rana wasn’t even in the thick of things when the teams were getting their squads finalised and prepping for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 but the experienced spinner, after being unsold in the auction in December 2024, was given a fortunate second chance as she was roped in by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to replace the injured Shreyanka Patil just at the start of the WPL 2025 season.
While RCB might not have been able to defend their WPL title successfully, there were a few bright moments in an otherwise disastrous season for Smriti Mandhana and co. Rana finished the season with six wickets from five matches with the best of 3/26 at an average of 18.50. Her best bowling performance came in RCB’s last game of the WPL 2025 where they signed off with a narrow win over Mumbai Indians in the final and also played the role of party-spoilers, denying Mumbai a tabletop finish.
Rana’s bowling performance also saw her get the Player of the Match award and post the game, Rana and her teammate, RCB wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh had a short chat about the game and their season.
Ghosh started their conversation, asking Rana how she felt about receiving the Player of the Match award and also about the three big wickets she picked up, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr and Yastika Bhatia.
“I felt really nice. I had manifested that I would get five wickets, but I managed three! It feels really nice when you can contribute for your team, especially in a game where your opponents are in a do-or-die situation,” said Rana.
Rana, who represented Gujarat Giants in the first two WPL seasons and even captained the Giants in Beth Mooney’s absence, was unsold in the auction in December 2024. Ghosh asked Rana about her mental state about not being picked in the auction and then coming back to replace Shreyanka Patil.
“When you have come to play for any team, it’s obviously a great feeling, and even after not being picked (in the auction), I took it positively and maintained a positive mindset. I am really thankful and fortunate that the RCB management called me and trusted me, and I got to play so many games,” shared Rana. “I am hopeful that Shreyanka recovers and returns with a bang next year.”
“I think I got the ‘Comeback Queen’ tag. But in my mind, I am always thinking that whenever I get an opportunity, I should give it my best, and I don’t focus on the things that are not in my control. I pay attention to the things that are in my control, and it felt great to contribute to the team in all the games,” said Rana when asked about how she maintained a positive outlook and came into the games strongly after being snubbed in the auction.
Rana then turned the mic on Ghosh, asking about her mindset when she’s batting in crunch situations, mentioning how Ghosh is a special talent with an incredible range of shots. In their final league game, Ghosh came in to bat in the 12th over, after the loss of the two openers and a solid platform set, Ghosh and RCB’s star allrounder Ellyse Perry struck 53 runs in just over five overs to help the team get close to 200. Ghosh made 36 from 22 balls while RCB finished with 199/3 in their 20 overs.
“I am always thinking that I need to see the ball and hit the ball, that’s my job. I have practiced a lot for that (clearing the stadium with the big sixes) with our coaches, batting coach and even at home. I have practiced a lot for that, should I situation arise, a crunch situation, I should know what to do. (Ellyse) Perry was also with me, she helped me, and things like that help me to play better. I also got a lot of confidence from the trust everyone has in me,” said Ghosh.
(Quotes sourced from video posted by WPLT20 on Instagram)
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