WPL transformed my cricket, says India pacer Nandni Sharma
Synopsis
Nandni Sharma's WPL confession cuts to the heart of what franchise cricket can do for a young player: she arrived thinking wickets were everything, and left understanding planning, pressure, and the art of reading a batter. Add a childhood story of being denied the ball at a local academy, and you have one of the more candid portraits of how India's next generation of women fast bowlers is being shaped.
Key Takeaways
Nandni Sharma credited the Women's Premier League (WPL) with transforming her tactical understanding of cricket beyond simply taking wickets.
She said sharing a dressing room with top players taught her planning, pressure management, and reading batters — skills she previously lacked.
As a child, Nandni was repeatedly denied the chance to bowl at her academy and briefly quit the sport out of frustration.
Her return to cricket led to a chance sighting of a senior player bowling fast — a moment she describes as the true beginning of her pace-bowling career.
Nandni made the remarks in an interview with JioStar .
India fast bowler Nandni Sharma has credited the Women's Premier League (WPL) with fundamentally reshaping her understanding of the game, revealing that the tournament taught her far more than the mechanics of taking wickets. Speaking in an interview with JioStar, the young pacer also revisited the childhood moment that first ignited her passion for pace bowling.
How the WPL Changed Her Game
Nandni described the WPL as a transformative environment, one where proximity to elite players rewired her entire approach to cricket. Sharing a dressing room with established names, she said, exposed her to the mental and tactical layers of the sport that she had previously overlooked.
'The WPL has changed me a lot as a cricketer. I have learned so much, from sharing the dressing room with big players to watching how they prepare, how they handle pressure, and how they approach different situations. I now see cricket in a different way. Earlier, I used to think that if I just bowl, I will get wickets. But now I understand that there is so much more to the game. There is planning, reading the batter, adapting to conditions, and communicating with teammates. I have learned a lot, and all of it is helping me in my journey,' she said.
Early Struggles at the Academy
Nandni's entry into cricket was anything but smooth. She first arrived at the academy accompanying her brother, only to find herself sidelined — coaches were unwilling to hand her the ball, leaving her frustrated and feeling excluded.
'When I started playing cricket, my brother used to play, so I began by watching him. I would go to the academy with him, but I wasn't given the chance to bowl. The coaches wouldn't hand the ball to me at that time. I felt left out. So, I left cricket in between. I kept complaining at home that they don't give me the chance to bowl,' she recalled.
The Moment That Defined Her Career
After a brief break from the sport, Nandni returned to training — and it was during this second stint that a chance sighting of a senior cricketer running in and bowling fast changed everything. She did not even know the discipline had a name at the time.
'Then, after some time, I felt like playing again. I wanted to give it another try. After that, I saw a senior player running in and bowling fast. I didn't even know at that time that it was called pace bowling. I just watched her and thought, I also want to bowl like that,' she said.
That single observation, she noted, became the defining turning point in her development. 'That moment changed everything. Earlier, I didn't even get a ball in my hand. But from that day, I started fast bowling. That is one of my most important memories. That is where my journey as a fast bowler truly began,' Nandni added.
A Career Still in Progress
Nandni's trajectory — from being denied the ball at a local academy to competing in the WPL alongside some of the world's best — reflects the broader impact the league has had in accelerating the development of young Indian women cricketers. Her story is a reminder that elite domestic competition does more than produce results; it produces cricketers who think differently about the game. With the WPL still in its early editions, more such stories are likely to follow.
Point of View
Because it says something the WPL's broadcast numbers do not: the league is functioning as a finishing school for domestic talent, not just a spectacle. The gap between knowing how to bowl and knowing how to think about bowling is precisely where Indian women's cricket has historically lost ground in crunch moments. If the WPL is closing that gap — as Nandni's testimony suggests — its developmental return may ultimately matter more than its commercial one. The harder question is whether this exposure is reaching enough players outside the franchises, or whether it remains an advantage reserved for the select few who earn a WPL contract.
NationPress
24 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How has the WPL impacted Nandni Sharma's cricket?
Nandni Sharma says the WPL fundamentally changed how she understands the game, shifting her focus from simply taking wickets to planning, reading batters, adapting to conditions, and communicating with teammates. She credits sharing a dressing room with elite players as the key factor in her development.
What childhood struggle did Nandni Sharma face in cricket?
Nandni was initially denied the opportunity to bowl at her local academy when she accompanied her brother to training. Feeling excluded, she briefly quit cricket before returning to the sport and discovering pace bowling.
What moment inspired Nandni Sharma to become a pace bowler?
After returning to cricket following a short break, Nandni watched a senior player run in and bowl fast at her academy. Not even knowing the term 'pace bowling' at the time, she immediately decided she wanted to bowl the same way — a moment she calls the true start of her fast-bowling journey.
Where did Nandni Sharma share these revelations?
Nandni Sharma made these remarks in an interview with JioStar, reflecting on her cricketing journey and the influence of the Women's Premier League on her development as a fast bowler.
Why does the WPL matter for young Indian women cricketers?
The WPL provides young domestic players like Nandni Sharma with direct exposure to world-class cricketers, coaching environments, and high-pressure match situations. This accelerates their tactical and mental development in ways that traditional domestic cricket structures have not always been able to offer.
