Bengaluru: In her third season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Renuka Singh Thakur has truly come into her own, claiming 10 wickets in just seven matches so far. From humble beginnings in her village, playing with a cloth ball, to becoming India’s go-to fast bowler, her journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Cricket wasn’t just a sport for Renuka; it was the unfulfilled dream of her late father, one she took upon herself to achieve despite all odds.

“I hadn’t seen much cricket as a kid, it was just a hobby, I don’t know how it came. I just liked playing. And there was a rule in my village that we used to play with a cloth ball, so you have to throw it fast, otherwise it doesn’t go far. So that’s how I became a fast bowler. I didn’t talk much about my dad with my mom, then one day she told me that it was his hobby. He wanted at least one of his children to play. So, I started taking it seriously and I think cricket probably came about for this reason, as it was my dad’s dream,” she explained.

Renuka’s path to success was anything but easy. She left her village to join a cricket academy, steadily climbing the ranks. However, when she thought she was on track to make it big, she was dropped from the U-19 team, a moment that hit her hard.

“There were many things at that time, like in my family and I was also dropped from the game. My brother also had an accident, so I couldn’t understand how to get out of it. But I liked taking challenges, and after being dropped from the U-19 team, I asked myself how I could prove them wrong. If I perform well. So, I worked very hard after that.”

That relentless drive paid off when she made her India debut against Australia in October 2021. And in 2023, RCB picked her for the inaugural WPL season. Though she managed just one wicket in her debut season, she never stopped learning. Seeking wisdom from the best, she turned to Jasprit Bumrah for advice on handling pressure.

“I had a long conversation with him after the WPL. I was feeling like I had taken on too much pressure, so I asked him how to deal with it. He told me that the more matches you play, the more you’ll get used to it. The more people watch you, the more pressure increases. But how you handle it matters,” she revealed.

Now, back at her best, Renuka has 10 wickets to her name and held the purple cap at various points in the season. Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL has been a thrilling experience for her.

“I’m lucky to be playing for RCB because the fans are so good. When we go to the stadium, the whole stadium chants RCB. I like it when the crowd chants our name, it gives us a push. But, overall, Women’s cricket has grown a lot in the past few years. At this time, there are so many facilities, the money has increased, and so many people can see a career in this. When I go home too, little kids play in the village, so it feels good when they come and say, ‘Didi, I want to be like you’. That feeling a person is growing because of me, that’s incomparable,” she signed off.

India batter Shubman Gill has signed an agreement to represent MRF, a homegrown tyre manufacturing company, to use their bat going forward.

The first semi-final of Champions Trophy 2025 between India and Australia will be the first day for Gill mark the commencement of batting with MRF bats as a part of this deal.

When he walks out to bat, Gill will be joining an elite list of endorsers that also includes Virat Kohli and has a strong legacy.

It is understood that the formalities are completed and brings to end a long association the right-hander had with CEAT who signed him during his India U-19 days.

Gill’s brand game is bustling as the 25-year-old has deals in place with Nike, Mercedes, Dior, Coca Cola, Beats by Dre, Tata Capital, Bajaj Allianz, Casio and My11Circle. The deal with Apple, for their product Beats, was a first in the ecosystem as Gill became the first sportsperson from India to be their ambassador last year.

The new MRF deal makes him a part of the thriving legacy for the tyre manufacturer with Kohli currently in the list and the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, AB de Villiers, and Shikhar Dhawan sporting the red logo on their bat in the past.

The much-awaited T20 International tri series for the deaf kicked off with a grand inaugural ceremony at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi on 2 March 2025. The International deaf cricket teams of India, South Africa and Australia will be contesting in the action-packed tri-series hosted by the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) from 2 to 8 March 2025.

The Indian deaf cricket squad, selected by the All-India Men’s Selection Committee, is led by the captaincy of Virender Singh. The Men in Blue geared up for the major tournament with extensive training and practice sessions under guidance of Coach Dev Dutt and Assistant Coach Susheel Gupta. Coach Dev Dutt expressed confidence on the seasoned cricketers of the Indian squad and extended gratitude to IDCA for their support in organizing and hosting the series.

Speaking about the tournament, President of IDCA, Sumit Jain, said, “This tri-series holds special significance as it showcases the true spirit of the game and will be a nail-biting contest between the deaf cricket teams of three major cricketing nations. While my best wishes are with players from all the teams, I am particularly excited to witness some stellar performances from our Indian squad. This is a major opportunity for our players to establish the team as one of the bests in the world.”

The opening ceremony of the tournament was graced by the august presence of Chief Guests Sakshi Malik – Olympic Medallist and Padma Bhushan awardee, Kaustubh Mani – General Secretary of NRSA, Anand Mohan – IRTS, Sr. DGM & Sports Officer, Delhi Division, Northern Railway, and Special Guest Harsh Vardhan, IPS, DCP, Central District.

Welcoming the players from all the teams and the dignitaries present during the occasion, IDCA Patron  Reena Jain Malhotra said, “I have been associated with IDCA as a patron since its inception, and today we are proud to have our presence in almost 20 states across India. Our endeavor has always been to provide a platform for talented hearing-impaired players to develop their skills in cricket, play in national matches and represent India in international tournaments like this.”

Reena Jain further extended gratitude to Jay Shah – Chairman, ICC, BCCI members and all IDCA members for their unwavering support. She also thanked Chief Guest Sakshi Malik for being at the inauguration ceremony to motivate the players and the supporters and partners who have expressed faith in IDCA’s endeavor to promote disability sports.

Sakshi Malik – Olympic Medallist and Padma Bhushan awardee, said, “I am grateful to IDCA for inviting me to witness such a grand tournament. I always take joy in attending any sporting event and promote sports across the country. I wish bests to all the players and hope they have a wonderful tournament ahead.”

On the occasion, IDCA CEO Roma Balwani, said, “This is a massive platform for the cricketers from all the three teams to showcase their outstanding performance and re-establish their nation as one of the bests in the game. With all the players geared up for the highly anticipated actions, I am looking forward for an exciting tournament that will further elevate the standard of deaf cricket in India. Tournaments like this continue to break barriers and create opportunities for hearing-impaired cricketers from across boundaries.”

The T20 International tri series commenced with the opening match between India and South Africa and will feature six league matches before culminating in an exciting final on 8 March 2025. Following the Tri-Series, the Indian Deaf Cricket team will be playing a 3-match ODI series with Australia from 10 to 12 March.

Eminent Guests of Honor who were present during the commencement ceremony included Surinder Khanna – Former Indian Cricketer, Alok Sharma, ex Education Chairman, MCD, Delhi, Farida Katgara – Managing Director, Jeena & Company, Vipun Jai – Director, Ethics Group, Mr. Keku Gazdar – CEO, Aarohan Communications, Anil George – Actor. Known for his performance in the film Uri, The Surgical Strike, Ajay Swami – Vamdev Construction & Developers, Pratik Puri – Head of Cricket Academies, Delhi Capitals, Kamal Jeet & Kunal Gupta – Hero MotoCorp, and Jitender Tanwar – Stadium in charge.

Squad India Deaf: Virender Singh – Captain (Himachal Pradesh), Umar Ashraf-WK (Jammu & Kashmir), Abhishek Singh (West Bengal), Akash Singh (Haryana), Yashwanth Naidu (Andhra Pradesh), Sanju Sharma (Rajasthan), Santosh Kr. Mohapatra (Odisha), Kuldeep Singh (Haryana), Vivek Kumar (Haryana), Sudarsun E (Tamil Nadu), Krishna Gowda-WK) (Maharashtra), M. Shramith, (Karnataka), Sibun Nanda (Odisha), Ankit Jangir (Rajasthan), Sharik Majeed (Jammu & Kashmir).

Support Staff: Viral Jain – Manager, Dev Dutt – Coach, Susheel Gupta – Assistant Coach, Imran Ali – Trainer, Arif Khan – Physio & Sharad Mudgal – Interpreter (ISL), Ravi Kant Bhatt – Batting Coach