'Way things have unfolded for me has been magical'

INDIA AND DELHI CAPITALS SPINNER

- Shalini Gupta

A year ago, Shree Charani was an ‘emerging left-arm spinner making her Women’s Premier League (WPL) debut with Delhi Capitals (DC), who picked her for ₹55 lakh. Today, she stands as a World Cup winner, with her WPL stocks having soared into crores.

After playing a pivotal role in India’s title-winning home ODI World Cup campaign — she took 14 wickets, the fourth highest in the tournament — the 21-year-old was among the headline points of Thursday's WPL auction. Charani was snapped up again by DC for a whopping ₹1.3 crore, more than four times her base price of ₹30 lakh. Currently leading Andhra Pradesh in the U-23 T20 Trophy in Nagpur, the youngster reflects on her World Cup high, WPL rise, and the road ahead. Excerpts:

You were relatively unknown in the last WPL. Now you're a World Cup winner. How much were you looking forward to this auction?

I was busy preparing for the U-23 Trophy for Andhra Pradesh and realised that the WPL auction was around only two days ago. I was busy playing a game against Goa while the auction was on. It was only later that I got to know, and it made me really happy. I enjoyed a lot in the last season, and want to make the most of this opportunity. I am thrilled to be part of Delhi Capitals this time too. WPL is a great platform.

From not even being in the India squad a year ago to being a world champion, did you ever imagine things unfolding this way?