Less than a year ago, Shreyanka Patil’s cricketing journey came to a sudden halt. An injury sustained during the Women’s T20 World Cup in October 2024 ruled her out of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title defence in the Women’s Premier League, marking the beginning of an unexpectedly long and mentally draining rehabilitation period.
At first, Patil believed the setback would keep her off cricket for only a few months, however that wasn’t the case. Like many athletes, she assumed recovery would take a few months before she could return to doing what she loved most, playing competitive cricket. But the injury proved far more persistent than anticipated.
“I thought it was just like a one-off injury where I recovered in just like a couple of months, maybe two, three months,” Patil said. “But then I didn’t really see myself being there (Center of Excellence, COE) for more than a year. It almost took me like 13 to 14 months to get out of COE, back on the field playing cricket. That’s what I love to do. But unfortunately, the shin splints again reoccurred and then I had to go through the procedure all over again.”
Her prolonged stay at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (COE) meant watching cricket move on without her. The absence from major tournaments soon piled up. After missing the WPL, she was unable to regain full fitness in time for the Tri-Series in Sri Lanka against South Africa in April–May. The England tour in June-July followed without her, and perhaps the most painful omission of all was the home World Cup.
“Once I started missing tournaments back to back, and missing out on WPL, that was a big blow for me. Missing the World Cup hurt a lot. As a cricketer, you always want to lift that trophy.”
Beyond the physical toll, the injury began to affect Patil emotionally. Known for her vibrant personality, she found herself withdrawing during the early days of rehabilitation.
“I wasn’t talking to anyone at the start. I locked myself in a room for two or three months,” she said. “That wasn’t me. I’m usually very bubbly. But talking to people made me realise I wasn’t alone.”
A turning point came through conversations with players who had walked similar paths. One such interaction was with Jasprit Bumrah, who had also spent time recovering at the CoE. Despite bowling different disciplines, the exchange proved invaluable.
“I had so many questions (for Bumrah),” Shreyanka said. “About bowling under pressure, about practising yorkers. Even though he’s a fast bowler and I’m a spinner, I bowl at the death too. He told me ‘this is okay, everyone goes through it.’ He said I’m facing it at a young age, so ‘don’t fight it. Just be in it.'”
As Patil continued her recovery, uncertainty loomed over her future in franchise cricket. Having been sidelined for over a year, questions around retention were unavoidable. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru chose belief over hesitation, naming her as one of their four retained players ahead of the new WPL season.
“No words can describe how I felt,” Shreyanka said of being one of the retentions. “Someone who hasn’t played for 13 or 14 months, and they still trust you and say, ‘We’ll back you because your skill is up there’…it gives so much confidence. I was overthinking before that. ‘What if I’m not retained, which team will I play for?’ All those thoughts were there. After the call, I rang Arjun (Dev, her personal coach) sir and just started crying. I didn’t even know what I was feeling. It was just so much love and belief.”
Her return to competitive cricket finally came in September during the Women’s Caribbean Premier League, where she played without suffering any relapses, a crucial confidence boost ahead of the new season.
Now, with January 9 marked on the calendar, Shreyanka Patil is set to walk back onto the field in RCB colours when they face Mumbai Indians in the WPL opener. For Patil, it is more than just a comeback match. It represents resilience, patience, and renewed belief, the closing of a painful chapter and the beginning of a fresh one.
After months of uncertainty, isolation, and recovery, Shreyanka Patil is back where she belongs, ready to let cricket do the talking once again.
